garnetpalmetto
Jerkministrator
I can partially answer this - it's a fun thing to do. You're right, Ottawa & Raleigh are two of the worst arenas to visit, but almost every other city has incredible things to do around the arena's & the area. Raleigh I did on a road trip where I also went up the East coast to NYE in NYC, although there is a bit to do in the Raleigh area. The whole point is you pick the city and then make a cool trip out of it, go to a local BBQ restaurant or go tailgate at a college football game. It's a reason to go take little tiny trips and see North America (I've seen almost all of it so far just from going to hockey games, many were just little cheap weekend trips)
And the Triangle area has some pretty incredible things to do, too. Honestly, this argument gets no traction with me. Unless you're going to a city like New York or Los Angeles, the question of "What's there to do beyond see a hockey game" could be applied to almost any city in the League. What is there to do in Montreal or Detroit or Nashville? Now before denizens of those fine cities respond, I'd point out that of course THEY know what to do, just as I know what to do in Raleigh, but that doesn't mean that fans writ large do. So what do you do? Well, ask locals, especially on these board what to do. Maybe there's some really fun breweries to visit, or good golfing, or fun museums, or a really good restaurant, but there's something in almost every city in the League. The attitude that "Oh, it's Raleigh" or "Oh, it's Ottawa," IMO ends up self-defeating. Good times can be had almost anywhere, so why not ask the people who presumably have a good time there?