Canes Begin Locker Room Renovations

When the Carolina Hurricanes begin training camp in mid-September, their locker room will sport a new layout for both the players and coaches.
Demolition began earlier this week, the first step in revamping the look and flow of the team's room.

The initial plan is to remove a number of interior walls to open up the space on the south side of the locker room. The weight room, bike room and players' lounge will essentially reside in one large area, while the coaches' offices will relocate to the north end of the room, previously occupied by storage and the old players' lounge.
"We have a lot of walls down there that we don't need," President and General Manager Don Waddell said. "Any time you open up a room, it makes it feel that much bigger."

The construction plan, which hasn't even been completely finalized just yet, has come together quickly in the last month, according to Waddell. The project also carries a fairly hard deadline - the Hurricanes host their first preseason game on Sept. 19, and training camp is slated to begin the week prior.
"It's been high speed," Waddell said. "Demolition is going to be probably 10 weeks. Those brick walls are up 30 feet high, so that's a lot to take out of there. … We'll get to a shell, and already we've met with a designer to start programming."
Removing the existing ceiling exposed 30-35 feet of additional space underneath the lower bowl. Creating a second floor to expand the locker room footprint into that space couldn't be fit into the tight renovation timeline this summer, but it's something that could be explored next year.
Stay tuned for renovation progress updates throughout the summer.