Nigel Wheeler continues role with Carolina Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. – Odd. What a strange season it was. From NHL games played in an empty arena to the team’s COVID-19 outbreak to 14,000 plus screaming fans, we have been up, down, sideways, and back again.
As the General Counsel for the Carolina Hurricanes, my primary duties are supposed to include contract review, risk assessment and certain duties related to hockey operations. But this year, this crazy year, what I was supposed to do was replaced by what needed to be done. In addition to my normal duties, I was tasked with contact tracing, which is the process of interviewing COVID-19 infected players and coaches about every interaction that they had before and after receiving a positive test result. The task was simultaneously uncomfortable, humbling and enlightening. It re-affirmed how much the players care about their teammates’ health and safety and why we spent so much time re-designing various parts of the arena and the practice facility to ensure that our players and fans were safe.
When limited fans were allowed back into PNC Arena, I was thrilled, but I will admit, a handful of people spread across an 18,000-seat arena was a somewhat eerie sight, especially here. Those in attendance were jubilant and excited to be back watching live hockey, but it just wasn’t the same. We are the loudest house in the NHL, and I longed to hear the roar of our crowd, the rumble in the stands, and the raucous activity which is part of every game.
When we were cleared by the State and the NHL to allow 14,000 plus fans, we knew we were back on track. But the task of preparing PNC Arena to ensure it was a safe environment was daunting. After countless hours, days and nights of deep cleaning, and a total re-design of the flow of the arena, we pulled it off. Every member of the staff did what needed to be done to bring fans safely back into the arena. And when the fans came back, they brought the noise—we were back as the loudest house in the NHL.
We do not know what our COVID protocols will look like next season. We are waiting on guidance from the State and from the NHL on exactly what we will be required to do to ensure that our fans and players are safe, especially as the Delta variant emergent. Please note, as soon as we know, you will know.
On the ice, next year’s team will look a little different. When this article is published, you will see that we have brought in new players and said goodbye to a handful of guys who helped fuel last year’s playoff run. We are hopeful that the players on this year’s team will have that seemingly impossible combination of grit, heart, and skill that will allow us to get through the playoffs and to achieve our ultimate goal, winning the Stanley Cup and bringing it back here to North Carolina.
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