Hardwood to ice in just a few hours — 232 basketball court pieces, 530 ice coverings, leaf blowers, forklifts, three retractable basketball hoops, checkerboard-placed plastic, hockey helmets, a grocery cart, and yes, a bomb-sniffing dog. That’s what it takes to flip the Lenovo Center from an NC State men’s basketball game to a same-day Carolina Hurricanes matchup — all thanks to 500+ crew members.
With 150+ basketball and hockey games, concerts, comedy shows, and even rodeo events per year, the Lenovo Center changeover process is a well-oiled machine. We got a firsthand look at the same-day transformations and how quickly the ice is revealed before fans can be welcomed in. Lenovo Center VP and General Manager Tom Embrey told me it’s not a matter of inches between fans and the ice during a basketball game, but centimeters.
Flipping the arena
Once the buzzer sealed the Pack’s 76-61 loss to Virginia, the changeover crew got to work. As fans cleared the floor, a team was already folding the courtside chairs. The basketball setup holds 800+ more fans than hockey, most perched just inches above the ice. Plus, over 600 new seats are coming to the lower bowl as part of upcoming renovations. The student section seats that double for hockey were raised about one foot, keeping sightlines clear for guests behind where the college students typically stand.
All but a few fans had left the arena — risers were removed, throngs of foldable chairs were loaded onto carts, and forklifts carried them into storage. All the while, cleaning crews mopped the lower bowl, wiped down the suites, and picked up trash. There was even one member of the floor changeover crew whisking debris into a tidy pile in the corner with a leafblower.
As the crew picked up the 232 basketball court pieces, sandwiching them with plastic sheets, a third retractable basketball hoop was revealed from a tunnel. In case of a hoop malfunction, a third is literally waiting in the wings, but it needs to be moved and was carted back to storage with its fellow hoops.
Setting up the rink
Next, the plexiglass was placed in the rink’s boards, and with every piece, the arena slowly started looking like a hockey venue.Gameday producers tested game graphics, including special Hartford Whalers designs for that night’s throwback game against the Colorado Avalanche, who were playing as the Montreal Nordiques. Then, a bomb-sniffing dog from the Raleigh Police Department took to the floor to make sure fans are safe for the game ahead.
The crew’s next job was lifting the 530 pieces of black ice coverings, revealing the not-quite-pristine ice. The Olympias ice resurfacers cleaned up the ice, and ice crews took extra care for any dings and dents.
Ready for fans
Finally, everyone cleared the ice for the NHL’s calibration process. The Olympias made one last pre-game sweep, and by 5:30 p.m., the arena transformed with hockey’s loudest fans flooding in for the next game to come alive.
