Raleigh and Washington D.C. have recently taken action to address necessary maintenance and upgrades to the publicly owned, multi-purpose arenas in their municipalities.

Raleigh’s PNC Arena, which opened in 1999 and serves as the home to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the North Carolina State basketball team, will see an infusion $300M to renovate and update the facility.

"PNC Arena is a community asset. It's not just for basketball. It's not just hockey," said Philip Isley, chairman of the Centennial Authority, a governing body created by the North Carolina General Assembly, which owns PNC Arena. "It's for the Lizzo concert. It's for the monster truck rally. It's for Disney on Ice. We have a ton of activity out there," he added.

The deal includes extending the Hurricanes lease in the arena through 2044.

In our Nation’s Capital, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has committed more than $500 million toward a three-year, $800 million renovation of Capital One Arena, which hosts the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards, and opened its doors in 1997.

“Keeping the Wizards and Capitals in our Nation’s Capital has always been the right move for the vitality of our downtown,” said At-Large Councilmember and Chair of the Committee on Business and Economic Development Kenyan McDuffie. “Our residents want the entertainment and sports programming the venue brings, as well as expanded access to job and economic opportunities for decades to come.”

These mutual investments between local city leadership and team ownership highlights a growing trend of positive public-private partnerships and recognizing the economic benefits created by successful and modern multipurpose arenas.

WHEN HOCKEY MET THE AREPA AT SAP CENTER

Launch Test Kitchen at SAP Center Helps Pana Food Expand Their Local Footprint 

The first recorded indoor ice hockey game was played in 1875 at McGill University in Montreal Canada. That’s recent history when compared to the arepa sandwich, which was created thousands of years ago in modern day Venezuela and Columbia.  

But the two blend seamlessly together at SAP Center’s Launch Text Kitchen, where a talented couple from Venezuela bring this important traditional dish to the arena’s guests. 

German Sierra, co-owner of Pana Food, describes arepas as “daily bread” for the Venezuelan community.  Arepas are considered by Venezuelans to be more than just food; they bring feelings of home, family, and connectedness.

Sierra and his co-owner and spouse, Gabriela Ramirez, first introduced arepas at SAP Center’s test kitchen event just over two years ago.   

Community and sharing food is at the center of Gabriella and German’s Pana Food mission. The co-owners spend time building their business (they recently opened a restaurant in Santa Cruz) mentoring their employees and future business owners in the food truck community on how they too can expand and grow.  

The SAP Center Launch Test Kitchen identifies local small business entrepreneurs and helps elevate their business by exposing them to millions of fans each year.  In the case of Pana Food and their delicious arepas, the success was immediate and the arepas are a staple of the food offerings at all Sharks games, providing the ability to celebrate hockey and home. 

“I take great pride in the opportunity to support small businesses in San Jose,” said Jordan Gitter, Launch Test Kitchen Visionary at SAP Center. “With the increased visibility at our Launch Test Kitchen, it’s extremely rewarding to watch these local businesses grow and expand as they are exposed to new audiences.”   

Ensuring the fulfillment of culturally rich moments – both on and off the ice – is at the heart of Team Teal’s effort to celebrate our local community.

SHARKS CELEBRATE SOUTH ASIAN CULTURE AT SAP CENTER

On Saturday, March 23, the San Jose Sharks, once again, honored the cultural diversity of the Bay Area when the organization hosted its annual Celebration of South Asian Culture at SAP Center at San Jose.

Festivities began at 11 a.m. with the UPMA Holi Celebration that took place outside of SAP Center on Barack Obama Blvd. The event included color throwing (a popular tradition in India), celebratory music, guided dancing, food, and a special appearance by BigBoss 15 Winner Tejasswi Prakash.

Later that night, the Sharks hosted the Chicago Blackhawks inside SAP Center and the festivities continued with festive dancing and live vocal performances by local Indian organizations Voice of Bay Area and Rungmunch. The national anthem was performed by Indian singer Manasa Gadepalli, a classically trained professional Indian singer from the Bay Area and dance performances during both intermissions were performed by Gurus of Dance, a Bollywood dance company based in Milpitas. 

Once again, INDTVUSA was instrumental in making this one of the biggest Holi celebrations in the Bay Area. Led by Mr. Charanbir Mahal (@mahalcharanbir) who collaborated with the Sharks on the first Indian Heritage night in 2020, INDTVUSA provided onsite media coverage throughout the day and evening. Mahal also hosted the TV show “Sharks Snap Shot” and a weekly radio show “Sharks Hockey Hour,” the first show about the San Jose Sharks to be broadcast in Hindi on Radio Zindagi 1550 AM. Both shows are also available on the Sharks + SAP app presented by Western Digital.   

All fans attending the game received a free Sharks-themed Cricket Shirsey when entering SAP Center and free henna tattoo art was also available for all fans.

To see more from the Sharks Celebration of South Asian Culture, click HERE.

SHARKS COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL COLOR TO BRING MURAL TO SOUTH BAY

On Friday, April 19, the San Jose Sharks and Local Color, a women-powered non-profit organization in San Jose whose mission it is to build equitable pathways for creatives to thrive, collaborated again to bring new artwork to the South Bay.

Through the Sharks Community Connections Mural Project, a collection of public art from local artists in diverse communities that celebrates their culture, uniqueness, and togetherness, local artist Chetna Mehta unveiled her mural Diaspora Gathering. The artwork isinspired by colorful, Diasporic community gathering, learning, and moving together. The mural was unveiled at a ceremony held at the Indian Community Center in Milpitas where the art piece will be on display and welcome all who visit the center.

Over the past six years, the Sharks have installed artwork throughout the City of San Jose and inside of SAP Center with the goal of uplifting local community stories and further beautifying its backyard. These murals include the SAP Center 25 Years Celebration, the Sharks ‘Bleed Teal’ and the Zoom murals installation in SAP Center.   

Sharks Community Connections seeks to bridge the gap between under-represented communities and hockey, serving as a unifier under the Teal Together mantra. The project continues the Sharks commitment to supporting local artists and public art, to provide impactful experiences off the ice.