The News & Observer reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are likely to land the 2011 NHL All-Star game. Now, some mean people might ask “Why?” or make a Hartford Whalers joke, but I’m going to take the high road. While the thought of attending an All-Star game (already a bit of a stale event, let’s face it) in Raleigh, N.C. isn’t thrilling, it seems fair enough. Few NHL cities provide a better example of the league’s southern U.S. expansion than the Carolina Hurricanes. On the rare occasion that they make a crazy playoff run, their building is often among the most rowdy arenas in hockey (at least for American teams).
Besides, they’ve never hosted an NHL All-Star game before, so it only seems fair. No word on whether or not Rory Fitzpatrick will make an appearance in the game, though.