We're only a little more than a month away from the beginning of training camp, so there will be plenty of hockey discussions to come, but as I fill in for Chip with this debate topic while he's on furlough this week, here's a non-hockey-related topic -- more an open forum than a debate.
If there was one element of the fan experience at the RBC Center -- or on the radio or TV or anywhere else, for that matter -- you would change, improve, replace or expand, what is it?
The floor is open.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at (919) 829-8947, @LukeDeCock on Twitter or 
Comments
Fan Experience
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 09:36 — whalleWhere do we begin?
First things first....Chuck K, the best in the business, nobody does it better, period the end!
Now lets talk TV....Forslund, a true professional and student of the game. Which brings me to my point. If the Canes want to have any semblance of professionalism, they need to dismiss Tripp Tracey immediately. Not only does he appear to be a "homer" but the constand inferences to his playing days are OLD and fictitious. Ya, he played college and some minor league, but thanks to his association with ownership, i guess it's who you know, not how good you are.
The constant referances about players, their wifes and Families is off limits, we don't care. If your playing days were so successful, associate what you experienced to what is happening on ice. Give the fan the players POV, provide them with a technical observation of the flow.
If you listen to Forslund on Versus or NHL Network, and he's working with the likes of Eddie O., or another former "real player" the tone of the broadcast and flow are night and day.
fan experiences
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 21:29 — louis12580I will agree that Tripp can be annoying from time to time. That said, I'd rather him than Craig Laughlin (the Cap's analyst). We should all count our blessings that we are priviledged to hearin John call games rather than Jack Edwards.
Forslund/Tracy Rated Highly Among Other NHL Duos
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 14:45 — Wikimoto+1. Tripp's offbeat humor and wit can be entertaining. I don't mind the personal insights about players' off-ice lives, since it's usually very positive and reinforces the solid character of the players. Nonetheless, Tripp's bias toward goaltenders is hard to miss. Derek Zona of SB Nation ranked each of the NHL broadcast teams on a scale of 1-5 stars and I think he nailed our duo (4 Stars):
John Forslund, Tripp Tracy - Carolina Hurricanes: These two would be a five-star duo if not for Tracy's insistence on the infallibility of goaltenders. Forslund is very good with the in-game call, and has a special knack for hurrying back from commercials, ad copy or replay analysis to get back to the call of live action, something that even the best play-by-play guys struggle with.
Tracy knows his stuff and is very good at pointing out the mechanics of goaltending and defense, but in his analysis, goaltenders (especially Cam Ward) can do no wrong. (Full Post at SB Nation)
I think the Versus team of Forslund and Darren Elliot is 5 stars. If anyone were to replace Tripp, I'd look to Elliot. (Side Note: Elliot may be looking for work, unless his contract with Atlanta carried over to Winnepeg).
I'm OK with them. The only
Sat, 08/13/2011 - 18:37 — wxray1I'm OK with them. The only thing that drives me nuts about Tripp is when he says, "The Canes may look back at this game when..." He always uses this phrase, and it just gets old. Otherwise, I can put up with him. He even has a decent observation and provides a laugh occasionally. And Chuck on the radio is first class.
Meanwhile, you have someone like Dave Mishkin in Tampa. When I hear replays from this guy on XM radio, I have to turn it off. I don't need to be screeched and screamed at.
Agreed...
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 08:55 — Caniac5I will have to agree with this statement.
Seriously...
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 09:43 — richardfocBe careful what you wish for folks. There are many color guys out there who are way worse than Tripp.
Tripp
Thu, 08/11/2011 - 10:56 — hellfish+1 ,I like Tripp and him and JF make one of the best broadcast duo's covering there NHL team's.
Five game plan
Tue, 08/09/2011 - 18:25 — Biff_BeersI'd like a five game flex ticket plan. I live out of state but come to as many games as I can. The twelve game package is too many for me. I'd be willing to commit to five games if I could pick which five. I wouldn't expect much of a discount off the regular ticket price, but I'd still save a bunch of cash by not having to pay TicketMaster fees.
Parking
Tue, 08/09/2011 - 14:13 — rmmeliLet more people have access to Premier parking. For some reason, from a few years ago, they bar 26 game plan holders from being able to buy Premier parking passes.
Perhaps it's because the
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 09:44 — ctillPerhaps it's because the value proposition of Premier parking passes is being able to park close to the arena. The more people who have these passes, the less value there is to them.
Just 3G would be a help...
Tue, 08/09/2011 - 00:54 — ocolumnI hope the new cell antenna allows me to get 3G connections inside the arena; I couldn't last year. And I'd like a little variety in the food. Maybe at least a few vegetarian choices somewhere in the building. But my big gripe has nothing to do with the Canes. I don't see why the Agriculture Commissioner charges us $5 to park on public property at the fairgrounds. I've gone by on non-game days, when people are using that lot for the horse arena, and he doesn't charge them.
Parking Lot "Facilities"
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 13:30 — jrscanesMore Port-O-Johns in the parking lot and better management of them. During the All-Star weekend, of all times, not near enough and given the high volume of usage by Sunday afternoon they were full to overflowing and downright nasty! Caniacs live to tailgate and you'd think RBC Management would realize that we have to "go" somewhere! Having 3 lined out side the entrance to 108 just ain't near enough! At $10 a pop for parking surely there's enough to get more "loos" and better service for them!
Personally I'd like the
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 11:56 — ctillPersonally I'd like the improvements to the sound system several seasons ago to be re-visited. Perhaps the project helped in some areas of the arena, but in the area where I sit it made things worse.
+1 to this. Went totally
Tue, 08/09/2011 - 12:39 — wxray1+1 to this. Went totally downhill in the near rows of the 3rd level. There's a terrible dead zone up there.
A good example is when they do the player interviews ("What's your favorite ...") between periods. It is simply IMPOSSIBLE to hear what the players are saying, when they use their typical low-talk-player-speak. And it is more than that. The sound just plain stinks.
Changing of the guards...so to speak
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 08:58 — Caniac5I would like to see Tripp Tracy either stop using "Word of the Day" in his analysis of the Canes or have him just leave completely. He seems like a nice of enough guy but come on...they way he talks about the players, you would think he walked on the other side of the street (to put it nicely!)
You can tell in the conversations he and John have on air, he gets under John's skin from time-to-time and John just shuts the door on him. I have to applaude John for having such restraint.
GO CANES!
couldnt agree more!!!
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 09:37 — whallecouldnt agree more!!!
Radio Coverage
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 08:44 — gso_canes_fanStation 99.9 going west fades out when leaving games about where Rte 85 and 40 merge. Need better radio coverage
I also drive from Greensboro
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 22:47 — redblackhockeyI also drive from Greensboro to the games Sometimes, on the way back, I'll pull over to a gas station near Burlington to listen to the rest of The Aftermath while I'm still in range.
There's little to no chance that any other station is going to jump on board to broadcast Canes games. I don't know the precise details , but there's a lot of politics and a lot of money invloved. Most radio stations in NC aren't doing well financially, and none of them are going to cough up the dough to broadcast a niche sport (as much as we refuse to admit it, hockey is a niche sport here) when then can't even afford to pay their staff.
Or does The Fan have exclusive rights?
WCMC isn't the only station
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 11:54 — ctillWCMC isn't the only station in North Carolina broadcasting on 99.9. They already have the highest effective radiated power that the FCC will allow, given the other users of this frequency. In fact a station on 99.9 near Wilmington that Capitol Broadcasting Co. also owns was downgraded in power so that WCMC could be jacked up. The signal from WCMC better than it used to be.. and way better than night-time AM 850.
In theory the Canes could be broadcasted over a station like WRAL-FM that blankets the Triangle with strong signal. In reality that isn't likely to happen.
Wi-Fi even if for subscription
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 07:40 — abramsdougI agree that if the RBC had wi-fi it would make be a significant improvement; and would likely help promote the Hurricanes. Quite a number of Canes fans are on Twitter, for example. Canes Now could also have an open chat, so do some other Canes websites such as www Canescountry com. Wi-fi would also help some of us who follow the Checkers when the Checkers have games that conflict with the Hurricanes games.
wi-fi even if for subscription
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 08:28 — louis12580Great choice. As for a name for a new site, I humbly suggest www.caniacslive.com or caniacslivehere.com. Food wise, I'd love to see some new blood. Best would be a Chik-Fil-A, but know it's not possible due to their closed on Sunday policy. Bring back Goodberry's as well.
Make it part of the Season
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 09:18 — antMake it part of the Season Ticket Holder perks. WiFi with your STH package.
Perks
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 11:21 — hellfishWiFi is a no-brainer .but NOT part of a STH holder package...WiFi is such a common thing nowdays even at fastfood joints that should be available by entering your ticket stub number that way fans can use it during tail-gating or in line before the game so they can post on facebook/twitter or send pix to friends/family etc.
Food...better pizza for sure and a Steak-out would be sweet ,and the Hurricanes need to be on radio over the whole state of NC anywhere east fayetteville or west of Greensboro needs to be addressed ,and affiliate in Asheville would be great with lots of fans there ,because some of my friends live there and there's NO Cane's coverage ay all!..NC is a BIG state Murphy to Manteo and the Canes's need the whole state to grow ,another NO-brainer!
The Checkers need to be available on TV other places that just get Time/Warner cable...last i checked there's Waay more people on DTV/Dish and other cable co's than just Time/Warner!
Fan experience
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 06:52 — cbs31572FREE WI-FI!!! I get crappy service from AT&T in the RBC Center and I can't even browse on my iPhone, so the addition of a FAN ONLY Wi-Fi would be something that would be very nice! They could also build a nice little app for the iPhone/iPad also...just an idea.
Free wifi will not happen in
Mon, 08/08/2011 - 10:03 — procellaeFree wifi will not happen in a stadium of that size for quite a while. It has been tried, but it is way too expensive to provide internet that has enough bandwidth for 18,000 people. To put this in perspective, it was a really big real when AT&T was able to provide wifi at the recent Superbowl, and it only lasted for one game. Cisco just recently came out with something called Stadium Wifi (guess what it does), and that is about to enter testing at some stadiums around the country. Note that there is no guarantee that the wifi will be free.
So you are going to have to rely on your cellular internet. Thankfully, one of the improvements that they were doing to the RBC Center this offseason was to add a cell antenna in the building to hopefully improve service. They are aware of the problems with cell reception, and we will have to see whether this helps. I believe an antenna was added to the Consol Energy Center and it worked well.
Free WiFi
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 21:19 — CaniacG4This is simply not true. The TWC Arena has free wifi and the Cellular antenna in the building gives good 3G/4G Coverage for the major Carriers. Im on the free wifi at just about every Checkers game and you usually get at least 1.5Mbps.