NHL Cancellation Affects RBC Center Workers
by Joe Mott

In 2002, when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Eastern Conference, and N.C. State basketball was doing well, a sold out crowd in the RBC Center was a common sight.
But currently, with a struggling basketball team and a cancelled hockey season, empty seats in the center are much more common.

General Manager Dave Olsen said he anticipated the lockout. He planned one budget with hockey games and one without, but said it's still a hard hit to take.

“When you take 35 percent to 40 percent of your business away, it’s really hard to make up that loss, especially in one year,” said Olsen.

Not only are all the Carolina Hurricanes’ foot lockers emptied out, uniforms put up and name plates taken down, but many of the workers who maintain the facilities are also out of a job.

The lockout forced Olsen to lay off 30 full-time employees from middle management to operations staff. It's their job to replace the N.C. State hardwood with Hurricanes ice almost every day, but with no hockey on the schedule, the floor hasn't changed since November.

Fewer events also mean fewer event staff, which is made up of mostly part-time workers. Though some said they love their jobs, this year has been tough.

“Other months it’s just kind of like dragging on,” said usher Chris Bacon. “Our uniforms sit in our closets, so it’s not fun some other months.”

The Hurricanes had been scheduled to play more than 40 games at the center this season. Only two of those dates have been filled by other events.