After he took majority control of the team in 2018, Hurricanes ownerThomas Dundon made it a goal to have his club play in its first outdoor game. In 2019, Dundon invited NHL CommissionerGary Bettman to take a tour of Carter–Finley Stadium to see if it was feasible.[3] On February 15, 2020, the league initially announced that the Hurricanes would host the 2021 Stadium Series.[4] Before the league could finalize the game, the Hurricanes sought additional funding of $200,000 from the local government and other organizations to help offset the cost of hosting the game.[5]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic forced the league to delay the conclusion of the2019–20 playoffs until late September, and consequently push the start of the2020–21 season to January 2021.[6] On October 22, 2020, the NHL announced that it had postponed both the2021 NHL Winter Classic and the2021 All-Star Game due to "ongoing uncertainty" since both January events rely on fan participation.[7][8] The decision to further postpone the 2021 Stadium Series game was made on December 23.[9]
The Hurricanes later asked the league to move their outdoor game to the 2022–23 season,[10] with team president and general managerDon Waddell stating that he wanted "to assure a safe environment".[11] On February 4, 2022, the league confirmed that the Hurricanes would host the 2023 game,[1] and later announced on March 3, 2022, that the Washington Capitals would be the opponent.[2]
The game was Carolina's first outdoor game and Washington's fourth.[2]
The 2023 NHL Stadium Series gets underway just after the opening faceoff.
Carolina controlled most of the game, scoring the first four goals en route to a 4–1 win.Martin Necas scored a goal and two assists,Jesperi Kotkaniemi andTeuvo Teravainen each scored a goal and an assist,Paul Stastny had a goal, andFrederik Andersen made 24 out of 25 saves and had an assist.Tom Wilson scored Washington's lone goal in the third period.[12]
Originally scheduled to air onESPN, the game was broadcast nationally in the United States byABC and streamed onESPN+ and was simulcast in Canada viaSportsnet.[13][14][15]
