What looked like an ongoing block party in the streets of downtown Raleigh ushered in a weekend abounding with hockey-related festivities. Starting Friday, every entrance into the city was a floodgate that filtered in the country’s most fervent hockey devotees. A nonstop three-day celebration for hockey ensued, kicking off a start to the National Hockey League’s All-Star Weekend hosted in our very own city.
Every event — from a Three Doors Down concert to a Hostess cupcake-eating contest — revolved around the big game on Sunday that would mark the final showdown of the League’s finest players.
The NHL Fan Fair kicked off the weekend, which according to Alex Okowita, a junior in nuclear engineering and treasurer for the N.C. State Ice Hockey Team, was much like a hockey theme park.
“There are all sorts of hockey related things to do, including seeing the Stanley Cup,” Okowita said.
The rest of the schedule was followed by performances, signings, player red carpet arrivals and even fireworks. Every hour starting from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, there was a commemoration of national love for hockey. The Fan Fair continued through Sunday until fans had a reason to stop their pre-game celebrations for the All-Star game itself at 4 p.m.
The weekend brought not only a taste of hockey obsession but also exposed the rest of the country to our fair city.
“I think that this is going to do wonders for the city of Raleigh in general. There will be so much publicity around this whole weekend and I would be surprised for Raleigh to do anything less than shine on the national stage,” Harry Fryckberg, a junior in economics and captain and president of the N.C. State Ice Hockey Team, said.
Ashley Virginia Thornton, a senior in fashion and textile management and a member of the Storm Squad for the Carolina Hurricanes, said she foresaw a grandiose festivity-filled weekend.
“I’m excited to be involved in such a large event for the city. It’ll be good for the city of Raleigh as well as some local organizations and foundations we support,” Thornton said. “And of course, it’s good support for a good hockey team.”
Inevitably, the nationwide hype and anticipations caught onto N.C. State campus. Hockey followers across the University were also on the edge of their seats.
“I am very excited about the NHL All-Star game being here in Raleigh. It really brings a lot of hockey excitement to the city, comparable to when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006,” Okowita said.
Yet, all of these activities were mere previews for the real NHL hockey celebration that would be presented in the form of an on-ice face-off of fans’ favorite team members.
Part of what makes this year’s All-Star game so thrilling is its new approach to the game. While the All-Star game is usually a competition between the most-voted on players of the East and West sides, this year things played out a little differently. Eric Staal, captain of the Hurricanes and Nicklas Lidstrom, captain of the Detroit Red Wings, drafted players fans voted on to create their teams.
While the system of the game itself was new to usual All-Star spectators, the event celebrations were also foreign but exciting to the city. For students and regular NHL fans alike, this year’s game meant more than a deciding factor of who the League’s top players were, but it was also a chance to bring the nationally famed game close to home.
“It’s the first time that Raleigh has ever hosted an All-Star game for any sport, and for it to be hockey is a great honor,” Tyler Pickett, a junior in medical textiles, said. “Most in the hockey community feel that southeast hockey isn’t ‘true’ hockey, but now it’s our chance to prove that this sport, and an important event such as the All-Star game, belongs here.”
