Raleigh's All-Star Weekend

All eyes (at least in the hockey world) were set on my beloved hometown this past weekend as the NHL All-Star Game came to town. I've lived here for my entire life and I have never once been more proud to say that I'm a born and raised Raleigh citizen. Growing up southern, particularly here in Tobacco Road, you don't grow up playing hockey paying a whole lot of attention to it. That quickly changed in the late '90s when the Carolina Hurricanes arrived in Raleigh.

What was once thought of as a joke that would never work has proved many wrong. The 'Canes have hosted the NHL Draft, won the Stanley Cup, and now hosted the NHL All-Star game...and with such success the sports media cannot stop talking about it. Sure All-Star games no matter what sport they are don't really have the importance as championships, but none the less they're extremely high profile events...and it was quite the party.

Belle and I kicked off the festivities off Friday night, heading downtown to the Raleigh Amphitheater for a free concert with 3 Doors Down. Place was rocking and packed full of folks from every walk of life. It was such a popular event, they had to start turning people away because the venue was over capacity. Great show and a great kick off to the weekend.

Saturday we headed back Downtown and took in the sights of All-Star Wide Open, a street fair on Fayetteville Street in Downtown Raleigh. Afterwards, we headed over to the convention center for the NHL All-Star Fan Fair. This event was chock full of anything and everything hockey. A lot seemed to geared towards kids, but was still quite awesome. To me it seemed a lot like those conventions in Las Vegas, you hear about and see on TV from time to time. Afterwards, we went back to the Raleigh Amphitheater so Belle could see Chuck Wicks perform and she was actually lucky enough to meet him and get her picture taken with him.

via The News and Observer

via Yahoo Sports

Because the company I work for is the ticketing source for the event, I was able to score a few free tickets to the All-Star Pre-Game BBQ outside the RBC Center on Sunday. Let me begin by saying, I have never seen such an event. This was the hospitality event of all hospitality events. Free food, open bar, even a performance by the '90s rock band Eve 6. This was an invite only event and was the kind of event where its the who's who of anybody...example, NHL League Commissioner Gary Bettman was there. Unfortunately, I did not have tickets for the game, but the experience of everything else was fulfilling enough.

Following the game and the weekend of parties, fairs, and everything else, Raleigh has become the real winner of the All-Star Game. This put us on a national sports map and there have been nothing but gracious praises by the media for such great hospitality, amenities, fans, and support. Even a sportscaster TSN, Canada's version of ESPN made mention that this was overall the best All-Star Game experience he's ever witnessed. That says a lot from someone who is #1 from Canada and has probably been to more All-Star Games than years I've been alive. Take a look here.

As a sports fan, a 'Canes fan, and a Raleigh citizen, this was quite possibly one of the most exciting weekends ever. I definitely look forward to having this event return back to Raleighwood!