{"id":1617,"date":"2026-06-03T11:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1617"},"modified":"2026-06-03T11:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:04:14","slug":"remember-the-rbc-center-7-parking-much-has-changed-since-2006-stanley-cup-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1617","title":{"rendered":"Remember the RBC Center? $7 parking? Much has changed since 2006 Stanley Cup run"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The last time the Carolina Hurricanes hoisted the Stanley Cup, 30,000 fans packed into the sizzling-hot parking lot of what was then called the RBC Center \u2014 a riotous celebration that drew Caniacs from Gov. Mike Easley to a 6-year-old girl.<\/p>\n

Read more Top NC lawmakers say budget negotiations are on track. Gov. Stein won\u2019t bet on it<\/a><\/p>\n

That time-machine moment from 2006 shows how far Raleigh has traveled in the two decades and finally finds its hockey team skating back into the finals.<\/p>\n

For one:<\/p>\n

Raleigh couldn\u2019t hold a parade in its largely empty downtown because it was still tearing the pedestrian mall off Fayetteville Street, which hadn\u2019t hosted a crowd of any size since the mid-1970s.<\/p>\n

For another:<\/p>\n

The screaming fans at the RBC all have both hands raised in the air. The reason? Nobody had an iPhone yet.<\/p>\n

So let us step back to June 2006 and see what else is new:<\/p>\n

Parking at the RBC Center cost $7 in 2006; now it\u2019s $65 if paid in advance.<\/p>\n

A beer back then ran maybe $8; now, expect $15 and higher.<\/p>\n

A child-size sweater sold for $37, less than half of today\u2019s $85.<\/p>\n

And a ticket would set you back $120 for the cheap seats; now you\u2019re lucky to sneak in under $750.<\/p>\n

Back then, the Canes\u2019 opposing team came from Canada, not Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

So then-Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker bet the rival mayor of Edmonton a case of beer the Canes would win, choosing Carolina Pale Ale because almost no other Triangle-made beer existed. Current Mayor Janet Cowell put up some NC barbecue \u2014 a classic bet.<\/p>\n

On the Canes\u2019 last run, Raleigh boasted only 363,000 people compared to 514,000 today \u2014 a 41% jump between Stanley Cup runs.<\/p>\n

Interstate 540 traveled only a quarter-circle around the city compared to the full loop of today.<\/p>\n

Raleigh-Durham International Airport had just one terminal, not two.<\/p>\n

A long-gone Moore Square restaurant named Duck and Dumpling got mentioned among Raleigh\u2019s top restaurants, and Horniblow\u2019s Tavern, now a forgotten relic, captured attention by setting up inside unwelcoming industrial space.<\/p>\n

Read more Feds coming to Raleigh to help small businesses get infrastructure work<\/a><\/p>\n

And while Raleigh struggled to revitalize downtown with a revamped Fayetteville Street open to cars, it also squabbled about the decorations:<\/p>\n

It nearly added an electronic multimedia sculpture from Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, which would have covered an entire block, before naysayers nixed it for good, angering the donor who put up $2 million.<\/p>\n

Critics also pooh-poohed a row of chandelier-shaped sculptures on terra cotta poles, citing poor taste.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the city council feuded over whether to allow a fake stucco exterior on the downtown Marriott hotel, which collected $20 million in taxpayer money.<\/p>\n

And in a flourish, Raleigh blew up its boxy, two-story convention center that blocked Fayetteville Street on the south end and started constructing the new one a block away, which at $225 million ranked among its most expensive buildings ever.<\/p>\n

This time, the city has a downtown fit for parades.<\/p>\n

When the Canes last won it all, Raleigh had three Confederate monuments on the Capitol grounds, all of which got taken down in 2020.<\/p>\n

In 2006, President George W. Bush was pushing for a nationwide ban on same-sex marriage. This week, Raleigh began celebrating Pride Month.<\/p>\n

Back then, Tiger Woods missed his first-ever major golf tournament.<\/p>\n

Michael Jordan became part-owner of the Charlotte … Bobcats?<\/p>\n

And now the Carolina Hurricanes return to the Stanley Cup Final, backed by the same old Raleigh \u2014 grown wildly different.<\/p>\n

Read more Hurricanes squander fast start, fall to Vegas in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hockey remains a constant in the Triangle as Raleigh-Durham add population, culture, transportation, progressive politics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nRemember the RBC Center? $7 parking? Much has changed since 2006 Stanley Cup run - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1617\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remember the RBC Center? $7 parking? 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