Hold my beer skate: I drank from the Carolina Hurricanes' viral novelty mug

RALEIGH, N.C. — Filing a beer as a work expense? Not a big deal. We’re permitted to do that here at The Athletic.Now, a beer that was a) purchased at an arena b) expressly for work purposes c) costing $34.10 with tip and d) consumed from a miniature hockey skate? That was new.Therein lies the power of The Beer Skate, though, introduced by the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s the most recent in a series of what we’ll call “non-traditional drinking vessels” to show up in NHL arenas (and pop dramatically on social media) over the last few months, and it was a collaboration between the Hurricanes and the vendor they use for more standard promotional items.Advertisement