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

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.

3. Lambeau Field

It has long been a dream of mine to see a hockey game at Lambeau Field. The atmosphere would be incredible. It’s one of the most recognizable and famous venues in North America. Plus, there has already been an outdoor hockey game there. Assuming the game is in January, there’s a darn good chance it’ll be snowing.

However, there are some logistical issues. The biggest one, as mentioned in the tweet, is a lack of a true “home” team. As much as I love Wisconsin, it’s not somewhere a lot of people are going to be willing to travel far to get to. That limits the number of teams you could have in it. As much as I hate to say it, the Blackhawks would probably have to be one of those teams.

How about an Original Six matchup between the Blackhawks and Red Wings? Two of the most storied franchises in NHL history. I don’t care how bad either team is, I’d happily tune in to a Hawks and Wings game if it’s being held at Lambeau Field.

Now, the other potential issue is the Green Bay Packers are a pretty darn good football team. They’re more often than not hosting playoff games in January, which could complicate things a bit. That said, the NHL is efficient at getting rinks set up and taken down in a short period of time, so it could work.

2. Allegiant Stadium (Raiders Stadium in Vegas)

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This is fun because Allegiant Stadium is still under construction. But it makes a lot of sense. There aren’t a ton of places in Nevada that would make sense for an outdoor hockey game. Sure, you could have one on The Strip, but the NHL’s already done that and we’re looking for new ideas.

Frankly, Vegas deserves an outdoor game. The city has fallen head over heels in love with hockey. But, as I said, what venues in Nevada would make sense? There’s Sam Boyd Stadium, home of the UNLV Rebels and the Las Vegas Bowl, but it only seats 36,800. Even if they add seats, that’s still not ideal. And I can’t imagine you can fit too many people on top of a casino or hotel.

There’s also Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which seats 80,000. However, Allegiant Stadium will allegedly be able to seat at least 72,000 and you could probably add some more. It’s also a bit more of a traditional venue than a racetrack. Plus, if we’re going to do a racetrack, we need to do it right. It needs to be on a famous track. Somewhere that has already hosted an outdoor sporting event other than racing. Speaking of which…

1. Bristol Motor Speedway

Nashville Predators fans got a chance to show up at the 2020 Winter Classic and boy did they ever. I was skeptical of having an outdoor game in Tennessee, but dear goodness, it has to happen. The perfect venue? How about Bristol Motor Speedway?

If the name sounds familiar, it should. It’s one of the largest venues in North America with a seating capacity of over 160,000. There have also been several sporting events there other than racing. In 1961, it hosted a preseason game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. Most famously, Bristol was the location of a 2016 game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

It’s definitely plausible to have an outdoor game at Bristol. We’ve had games in California and Texas, so don’t tell me a game in Tennessee won’t work. And it’s time for the NHL to embrace chaos and have a game at a raceway. Bristol’s the perfect place to host it.

Obviously, the Predators would be the home team. But who would they play? How about the Carolina Hurricanes? Raleigh isn’t too far from Tennessee, so you’d have a decent about of Hurricanes fans there. Also, there is a bit of history between Tennessee and Carolina – there was an outdoor football game there in 2016 featuring the East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Western Carolina Catamounts.

Quote me on this. If this happens, I’m heading to it, no matter what the price. It would be the perfect combination of an SEC football game and hockey.