Normally, January brings excitement to sports fans across our footprint with the start of ACC basketball competition, but this January, we have two internationally recognized sporting events that are also getting our attention.  Greensboro will be hosting the AT&T US Figure Skating Championship in Raleigh from January 22-30 (which I’ll discuss in next week’s blog post), and the Carolina Hurricanes will be hosting the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition the weekend of January 28.

The All-Star game has the potential to be the biggest international sporting event held in Raleigh with a potential economic impact of over $10 million dollars! Thousands of sponsors, media and FANS will descend upon Raleigh and the game will be featured on TV and print in more than 150 countries.

I enjoy watching live sporting events but I know Renee Daniels, the Corporate Services Manager in our Raleigh office, is an avid hockey fan and couldn’t be more excited to see Raleigh hosting the All-Star Game!  The Hurricanes will not only be represented well on the ice by Eric Staal, Cam Ward and Rookie Jeff Skinner, but also in Downtown Raleigh as the City hosts an exciting weekend full of events for everyone from the casual sports fan to rabid “Caniacs”. The NHL-featured events start with Friday’s “Fantasy Draft”, Saturday’s “Skills Competition” and are highlighted by Sunday’s “All-Star Game”.  If you can’t get a ticket to the game, there will still be plenty of action in downtown Raleigh.  Through All-Star Wide Open and the NHL Fan Fair, kids and adults alike can enjoy interactive games in the NHL SuperSkills Zone, see the Stanley Cup, enjoy special NHL Alum appearances, and hear live music –even a FREE concert by Three Doors Down!

For those in and around the Raleigh area, are you planning on attending?

By DJ Stephan