Carolina Hurricanes fans packed Moore Square and Smoky Hollow and filled downtown bars for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, turning Raleigh into a loud, hockey-town watch-party scene with local bar owners saying the energy feels like 2006.
For Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, downtown Raleigh didn’t just get busy—it got loud.
Carolina Hurricanes fans flocked into the city, filling several watch parties across the area. A crowd of hundreds gathered at both Moore Square and Smoky Hollow, while other fans crowded downtown Raleigh bars, trading in normal Friday noise for playoff chants.
In Glenwood South, the watch-party spirit landed right where many fans already gather. Former Hurricanes player Bates Battaglia owns two bars in the neighborhood, and both drew fans from all over.
“I was here when the team first came [to Raleigh]. To see the fans go into the stadium and see how loud they are. It’s the loudest arena in the league,” Battaglia said. “We’re a hockey town.”
He pointed to what the city has been living with for days: the idea that hockey isn’t a passing fad here—it’s part of the identity.
Battaglia said Teets and Lucky B’s will continue to host events for the upcoming games. He also reached back to another championship run, remembering the same kind of buzz from 2006, the last time the Hurricanes were in the Stanley Cup Final.
“What is really cool is that in 2006, I had Lucky B’s. I saw it the first time around with everybody in the finals. To see it 20 years later, another shot at it, it’s really cool,” he said.
Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Raleigh Moore Square Smoky Hollow Glenwood South Bates Battaglia Teets Lucky B's
Love it. Raleigh finally got a real vibe.
So they just… flood the bars again? Like I’m happy for the fans but Moore Square was already packed before this game. Bet parking is gonna be a nightmare.
“Hockey town” lol it’s like people forget baseball and basketball exist. Also Bates Battaglia owning bars doesn’t mean the whole city is hockey, sounds like marketing talk.
I swear it’s always the same thing every time these teams make noise—everybody acts like it’s 2006 again. My cousin said Lucky B’s was the place to be, but then someone else told me it was Teets, so now I don’t even know which one is correct. Either way, Raleigh gets loud and I can’t blame them, just hope it doesn’t turn into fights downtown.