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| | Friday, October 29 | |||||
| RALEIGH, N.C. -- There were still more hard hats than hockey
helmets at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena on Monday,
but the Carolina Hurricanes gave their new home a thumbs up.
The defending Southeast Division champions practiced for the first time in the $158 million, 18,700-seat arena that will be the team's permanent home as workers put the finishing touches on the building. Carolina played in the Greensboro Coliseum for two years while the new building was being built. "It was a pretty exciting day," coach Paul Maurice said after a short practice. "We weren't really worried about what was going on on the ice. It was just nice to be here. It's a beautiful place." Workers wiped down seats and placed floor tiles near the Carolina locker room, which wasn't completed yet. The team dressed in the visitor's locker room for Monday's practice, but nobody seemed to mind. "The building is state-of-the-art," said team captain Ron Francis. "I like the way it's structured, with the majority of seating being in the lower bowl. That's a neat way to go." The ice surface, a major concern in other arenas across the NHL -- especially in the South -- got mixed reviews. "We didn't push it too hard," Maurice said. "We felt if we could get 30 minutes out of it without having a flood we would be in good shape, and it held up well. We'll try (Tuesday) maybe a little harder, but there were very few ruts in it. I was very encouraged. The ice is not very far off at all." Goaltender Arturs Irbe had a different perspective. "Once it got skated on for a while, and we created some snow on the top, it crystallized and kind of got a little bit wet and froze on the top," Irbe said. "That's what we are dealing with in every single arena down South. It wasn't worse than other arenas. "It's nothing new to me," he added. "I spent five years in San Jose and one year in Dallas, and even last year here. It has been my destiny to practice on ice like this." Once the building is closed down for several days, the ice should get harder and firmer, Maurice said. However, it's unclear how a sellout crowd like the one for Friday's home opener against New Jersey will affect the ice. "If it becomes better, it's just a bonus," Irbe said. Center Jeff O'Neill, the first Carolina player to skate on the ice, said it felt like Christmas. "Ice in the South, you wonder about it sometimes," O'Neill said. "It seemed really good out there. Everybody was anxious this morning, and I wanted to get out there and shoot some pucks." Irbe got lost taking a shortcut to the new building but said it was better than having to make the 160-mile round-trip drive to Greensboro. "It's going to take a little while for it to sink in," general manager Jim Rutherford said. "I hope our team can adjust to the building very quickly and know that they're home." | ALSO SEE Agents say Primeau won't play again for Carolina
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