Adam Hoffman Says 4,687 Hurricanes Game Beer Skates Sold Out
The Carolina Hurricanes’ hurricanes game novelty beer skates sold out Saturday night, and the entire run is gone for the rest of the NHL postseason. The plastic mug debuted in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers and disappeared with eight minutes left in the second intermission.
Adam Hoffman, the vice president for food and beverage at Lenovo Center, said the skates would not be restocked for the rest of the NHL postseason. The team sold 4,687 skates during Game 1, with the first 300 moving at the fan plaza party before the game.
Lenovo Center Beer Skate Run
Staffers brought the arena’s entire inventory from the warehouse after demand outpaced supply. The skate-shaped mug holds around 28 ounces and sold for $19 on its own, or $12 plus the cost of the drink when purchased with a beverage.
Hoffman said the team had already started talking about another run of beer skates in the future. The item followed earlier Hurricanes novelty drinkware, including a beer hockey stick and a beer Zamboni, and it took months to create with a supplier and NHL approval so the mugs could carry Hurricanes colors and logos.
Philadelphia Flyers Game 1 Demand
By Monday, the sellout had already spilled beyond the arena. eBay listings were showing prices between $150 and $200, a steep jump from the original game-night price and a sign of how fast the item moved once it was introduced.
“We really thought we had purchased enough, and then this thing just blew up. Fans went crazy for it, which is great. We love that we created something that they wanted to have,” Hoffman said. He also said, “I don't want to say we weren't prepared for them to buy as many as they did, but obviously we didn't think it was going to blow up exactly the way that it did, which is just so awesome.”
Adam Hoffman And Future Runs
He said the reaction was bigger than the team projected: “No, we certainly did not. If we had, we would've purchased more of them to start.” Hoffman also described the idea’s roots plainly: “Honestly, people have been drinking beer out of boots for quite some time.”
For fans who missed the first run, the immediate answer is simple: the current postseason supply is gone. The only path left is a future production run, which the team has already begun discussing.
