Lenovo Center

Lenovo Center in Raleigh is the home of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack basketball, a dual-purpose arena that swaps between hockey ice and hardwood throughout the season. The building's "Caniacs" fan base is known for its storm-surge celebrations and taking a bite out of a plastic shark after every Hurricanes goal, one of hockey's most distinctive traditions. On football Saturdays turned basketball nights, the arena becomes a red-and-white sea for Wolfpack games, giving Raleigh a true multi-sport arena at its center. Its bowl-shaped seating keeps the crowd close to the action for both tenants.

The arena opened in October 1999 and has carried several names over the years -- Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, RBC Center, PNC Arena -- before becoming Lenovo Center in 2024. Its signature moment came June 19, 2006, when the Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup, delivering North Carolina its first major professional sports championship on home ice. The Caniacs' storm-surge tradition and shark-bite goal celebration have made the building's atmosphere one of the more recognizable in the NHL. It has also hosted NCAA tournament basketball and remains NC State's primary home court.