How PNC Arena Became the Loudest House In the NHL

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Hours before the Carolina Hurricanes played their first game, (in what was then the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena) head coach Paul Maurice foreshadowed the building’s future characteristics. “We expect it to be loud just based on the fans that we had last year and how loud they were,″ Maurice said. “They came to yell and scream. There are some places that are like libraries around the league. – That works against the home team. This building doesn’t have any of those characteristics. They’ve done a great job with the slant of the lower bowl.″

Its unique design contributes greatly to the stereo atmosphere of PNC Arena. Its 11,000-seat lower bowl and narrow space between its upper bowl and metal roof create the perfect eco chamber for ravenous Caniacs.

For Hurricanes fans PNC Arena being referred to as the ‘Loudest house in the NHL’ gives a vintage feel to whichever broadcast they’re watching. Carolina’s 18,650-seat arena has worn the moniker as a badge of honor since their first deep run to the Stanley Cup finals, in 2002. The series against the Detroit Red Wings ended with Scotty Bowmen’s all-star lineup adding another trophy to the shelf but the Hurricanes organization didn’t leave the match up empty-handed.

“The three-year-old arena now hosts standing-room-only crowds for every game,” read an ESPN article from the time. “Fans arrive four hours early and hold tailgate parties in the parking lot. Shops fly the team colors like small-town businesses supporting a high school. Car flags are everywhere, sweaters are everywhere.”

Ending your season just three wins away from the Stanley Cup is always going to be disappointing. There’s no way around it. But Raleigh got its first taste of the NHL spotlight and flipped rival markets’ expectations for hockey in the City of Oaks.

A homemade sign was spotted inside the RBC in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002

Fast forward a few years and the Loudest House in the NHL was used throughout the team’s Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Decibel levels reached 135 inside the RBC Center as it became clear that Carolina would be Cup Champions. Decibels are used to measure the intensity of sound. A jackhammer normally produces 120 decibels. Anything above 130 decibels can cause hearing loss and often causes immediate pain in spectators’ ears. Fans in Raleigh, who stood for the entirety of the winner-take-all game against the Edmonton Oilers in 2006, reached a level similar to fireworks or a fighter jet taking off.

It continued to be a valuable tagline for the team’s marketing department in 2009 as the team played in what would be their final post-season run for almost a decade. Through the last decade, PNC is relatively silent compared to its glory days. Ownership struggles paired with the subpar play on the ice and lack of success gave fans a reason to look elsewhere for entertainment.

It’s easy to see how fans from outside the market or even new fans of the Hurricanes might have forgotten or failed to learn about the energy that comes with playoff hockey in Raleigh. When fans in Raleigh had a chance to reclaim their throne as the finest building for playoff hockey in the National Hockey League, they didn’t disappoint. Raleigh fans returned to PNC Arena in droves, they also returned louder than ever. During Carolina’s first home game against the Washington Capitals decibel levels reached the low 120s. Equal to a lightning strike.

“I know the guys are really excited about it. It’s going to feel great,” said Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal in 2021. 10,000 fans or just over half of PNC Arena capacity were staggered around the arena. It was the largest crowd allowed in Raleigh in the post-Covid era. “There’s no better building when the Caniacs are going,” Staal continued. Understanding the assignment Hurricanes fans screamed and yelled to make up for the empty seats. “Obviously we feed off that, every team does but I think our fans are especially loud,” Hurricanes defenceman Brett Pesce added.

Hurricanes fans haven’t cheered on their team in the Stanley Cup Finals since 2006. But they have come close to a similar atmosphere. Last season game seven against the Boston Bruins drew 19,513 fans to PNC. Carolina’s current attendance record inside their home barn. “It’s just about as good as when we won the Cup,” one fan said to Raleigh’s ABC 11.

Fans in Raleigh began to stand when Boston pulled their goalie with two minutes left on the clock. Carolina’s two-goal lead didn’t guarantee a win, but the odds were on their side. PNC Arena’s public address announcer Wade Mintor was drowned out by the hopeful Caniacs as he announced the final minute of regulation. David Pastrnak’s goal with 20.5 seconds remaining in regulation cut Carolina’s lead to one. But it didn’t affect the support pouring over the glass for the hometown heroes. As the final horn sounded, it was matched by the wall of sound created by the over 19,000 fans circling the ice.

PNC Arena makes it easier for fans in Raleigh to intimidate visiting teams. But Raleigh’s sports culture is the real difference maker. Tailgates that resemble a college football homecoming weren’t seen in the NHL before the league moved to Raleigh. Local fans usually cheer for their kids’ high school team as if it was a battle to the death bringing the same enthusiasm for their hockey team. Hurricanes fans honestly believe they can and will change the outcome of a game through sheer force of will. They may be crazy. Or they may be the lunatics that hockey’s been looking for.