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NHL: Top 5 venues that need to host an outdoor hockey game

By Dave Stevenson

BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 10: A general view inside Bristol Motor Speedway during to the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers on September 10, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Virginia Tech 45-24. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 10: A general view inside Bristol Motor Speedway during to the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers on September 10, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Virginia Tech 45-24. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Sebastien St-Jean / AFP via Getty Images /

The 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl proved the NHL should be open to non-traditional venues for outdoor hockey games. Here’s a look at five potential venues.

The NHL loves to have outdoor hockey games. Unfortunately, they tend to be in fairly boring venues. However, the 2020 Winter Classic should wake the league up. It was one of the best atmospheres ever for an outdoor hockey game. Credit the Dallas Stars for making the Winter Classic unapologetically Texan with a ton of unique things, like pig races.

Now it’s time for the league to start looking at some different venues. Even non-traditional ones. If there are going to be more than one outdoor game each season, you’d better make sure you make them special so fans will be curious enough to tune in.

Don’t tell me nobody would show up to a venue because the Stars and Predators playing at the Cotton Bowl got the second-largest attendance in NHL history. If you would have told me that five years ago, I would have thought you were nuts.

I’ve written plenty of things about this very topic, so I did something different, and, frankly, terrifying – I turned to Twitter.

https://twitter.com/baltimoredavey/status/1212496090320244737

Surprisingly, Twitter actually had some pretty darn good ideas. Let’s take a look at some of the best answers I got. I didn’t include the multiple suggestions for a game at Beaver Stadium in PA or Ohio State University. Everyone wants a game there. I’m an agent of chaos, so I’m taking a look at the fun, but realistic, options.

5. Olympic Stadium

Technically, Olympic Stadium is not an outdoor venue since it has a roof. But I’ll allow it because I think this would be an awesome place to have a hockey game. It’s one of the most versatile venues in the world, as it has hosted just about any sport you can think of, from baseball (Montreal Expos) to American football (Montreal Machine and Montreal Alouettes) to soccer (Montreal Impact).

The matchup would be easy. You’ve got two solid choices. Obviously, the Montreal Canadiens would be the home team. They’ve got two main rivals – the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, we’ve already seen the Bruins play the Habs in an outdoor game. It’s shocking we’ve never seen a Leafs versus Canadiens game in an outdoor game. There’s your matchup.

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