Three new NHL outdoor game matchups we’d love to see someday
Even if they’re no longer the blockbuster events they were back in the halcyon days of Sidney Crosby and Ryan Miller going mano a mano, the National Hockey League’s outdoor games (including the Winter Classic, Heritage Classic, and Stadium Series) are here to stay.
Only five of the NHL’s 32 teams have yet to play outside, and that number is set to shrink to three when the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken host stadium games of their own over the next 365 days.
We’ve seen plenty of repeat participants — and even some reused venues. Just on Monday, Crosby’s Penguins took on the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, which previously hosted the 2010 Winter Classic between the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.
There have now been exactly three dozen NHL regular-season games held in stadiums across North America since the inaugural game between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers took place in 2003. Three more outdoor games have been scheduled to take place over the next year.
So, with the most recent Winter Classic still fresh in everyone’s mind, let’s take a look at three potentially fun “Classic” or “Stadium Series” matchups that would be unlike anything we’ve already seen.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens have been fierce rivals for nearly a century. They’re two Original Six teams with 37 Stanley Cups between them and, collectively, a ton of previous outdoor game appearances.
But you might be surprised to learn that none of those games has actually taken place in Montreal — and there’s a pretty good reason for that. Molson Stadium, the home of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, is more than 100 years old and barely seats 25,000 people. Saputo Stadium, which hosts MLS club CF Montreal, is much newer but also significantly smaller.
And then there’s Olympic Stadium. Make no mistake, it’s an iconic venue (and it seats plenty), but it also comes with its fair share of drawbacks. It’s a textbook example of a white elephant. Its current kevlar roof has suffered thousands of tears over the years. There’s a chance the stadium might get a retractable roof again someday, but it’s far from certain.
Nevertheless, the NHL has staged games inside domed stadiums in the past — remember the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place? Even with a closed roof, “The Big O” is a one-of-a-kind structure that can accommodate upwards of 50,000 people (and, depending on temporary seating arrangements, potentially more than 60,000). It’s the second-largest stadium in Canada.
The matchup is obvious. The logistics would be much more difficult to work out. File this one under “dare to dream.”
Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the three NHL clubs without any outdoor game history or future games on the docket. It’s time to change that.
Ohio Stadium would be the perfect site for a marquee NHL game. It’s enormous, with a permanent seating capacity of 102,780 and a record attendance figure of 110,045. There’s a chance an outdoor NHL contest at Ohio Stadium could set a new league attendance record.
The Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes have been involved in a massive college football rivalry for 125 years. Back in 2000, ESPN called it the greatest North American sports rivalry in history. Recreating that matchup in NHL terms seems like an obvious way to get the Blue Jackets involved in the outdoor game scene.
When the Blue Jackets qualified for the playoffs for the first time ever in 2009, the Detroit Red Wings were their opponent. That series ended in a sweep, with Detroit ultimately reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Although neither team is all that good these days, the Blue Jackets have a few marketable stars and, as an Original Six team, the Red Wings will always be a good draw.
This one just makes way too much sense.
Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
If you can play an outdoor game in Texas or California, you might be able to play one in Florida. And, if you’re going to do that, you might as well involve both Florida teams.
Like the Blue Jackets and Arizona Coyotes, the Florida Panthers have never taken part in a stadium game. The Tampa Bay Lightning have, albeit as the visiting team when the Nashville Predators hosted a Stadium Series game in 2022. It’s high time to try one of these games in the Sunshine State itself.
But in what venue? Surely not Tropicana Field, which has all of the roof problems of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium but with none of the charm. The Tampa Bay Rays have been trying to get out of the Trop for years. (Fun fact: Tropicana Field, known then as the ThunderDome, served as the temporary home facility of the Lightning for a few years in the 1990s and still holds the record for the largest crowd for an NHL playoff game).
At least Tropicana Field would offer climate control. There are also numerous outdoor venues in Florida, including Hard Rock Stadium (home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins), Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Florida Gators). But, as the NHL learned all too well in 2021, these outdoor games tend not to go all that well when too much direct sunlight gets involved. You might end up needing to play at dusk — or later.
It’d be tricky to orchestrate, and there’s also the question of whether any of these venues would help create a memorable or marketable event. But, at the very least, such an idea would be worth looking into.