Lenovo Center Voted Toughest Place To Play In The NHL

RALEIGH, N.C. - Addressed as the "Loudest House in the NHL" for years, the moniker is not hyperbole.

With frequent recordings of over 100db inside Lenovo Center, it has created an environment that's fun for fans to be a part of and a nightmare for opposing teams.

Affirmed by nearly a quarter of the players asked at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in September, NHL.com published an article last week sharing that visiting players feel that 1400 Edwards Mill Rd is the toughest place to play in the NHL.

"It's the whole set up," Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. "They pack [the fans] in there so it kind of feels smaller. It's a different feel. The road locker room is [bad], so that doesn't help. Put that in there."

Currently touting a sellout streak of 119 games, dating back to Feb. 24, 2023, support from the Caniacs has played a key role in the team's seven consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"Carolina is pretty tough to play in early in the game," New York Rangers forward Will Cuylle said. "It's so loud and the fans are pretty crazy, so if you can get to the first TV timeout without getting scored on, you are settled in, but that is pretty tough."

Not just feared by opponents, it's loved and appreciated by those on the home side too.

"I think this building, with the crowd the way it is, I've got to give them a lot of props, because that is a big deal when you get that momentum going. You feel that energy," Rod Brind'Amour said following a victory in April.

Brind'Amour's group has certainly fed off that energy, going 31-9-1 at home during last year's regular season. Since the Hurricanes' Hall of Famer took over behind the bench, the team is 180-65-23 in Raleigh, totaling the second-best win percentage among all clubs in their own arena (.715).

The nod is also a nice "look how far we've come" moment. Just nine years ago, the Canes finished dead last in attendance among NHL teams, registering an average of just 11,776 fans per game.

Over the last three years, they've finished inside the top ten, including second-best during the 2022-23 season with an average capacity of 19,526 (includes standing room only).