NHL: Could Walt Disney World be a possible host for games?
By Ant Barberio
Walt Disney World may be famous for its theme parks, but it’s also home to a large sports complex. Could it host some NHL games?
The NBA finds itself in the same boat the NHL does – wanting to play out the remainder of their season in almost any way possible. For both leagues, it looks like the most likely scenario would be playing in neutral sites without the fans. Since the NBA lacks the complicated infrastructure, for example the ice part, their options of where to play are more plentiful.
One of those places speculated in a Yahoo Sports article is the Walt Disney World resort. It might sound weird at first, but no one is suggesting that hardwood be put down next to Space Mountain for Mickey Mouse and friends to watch LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Instead, games would be played at Disney’s onsite sports complex, the ESPN Wide World Of Sports, and players staying in Disney owned hotels. Walt Disney World is decently isolated in their own little world, for lack of a better term, with over 30,000 Disney owned hotel rooms.
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The plan makes perfect sense, but unfortunately the NHL can’t consider something similar. While the onsite sports complex is a high-end facility for most sports, it lacks a hockey rink.
That takes the most magical place on Earth out of the running as host for the NHL’s resumed 2019-20 season, but it would be advantageous for Disney to build a few ice rinks at their sports complex for future us.
Even though the ESPN Wide World Of Sports has seen some professional use, most notably the former spring training home for MLB’s Atlanta Braves, but serves mostly as a complex for various sports tournaments. The tournaments range in every level from youth to college sports. If Walt Disney World can become a destination for basketball, baseball and cheer teams, why not ice hockey teams?
There are a few “arenas” for indoor events already at the complex, but none are suited for construction of an ice rink. While it may be possible to convert, with the available resources Disney has adding a completely new “arena” or two dedicated exclusively to ice based events would be the best course of action. Such rinks could be used not only for ice hockey, but other ice based sports as well such as figure skating, speed skating, and curling.
Disney has numerous ties to the world of professional sports, especially in Central Florida. They are main sponsors of the Orlando Magic of the NBA and Orlando City F.C. of MLS. Disney could form a similar relationship with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL to generate publicity, use and credibility of their ice rinks.
The Lightning are the closest NHL team to Walt Disney World and although farther than the Magic and City F.C., they are a Central Florida brand. The Lightning could benefit from a partnership as well. The NHL loves playing preseason and exhibition games in different locales and Walt Disney World would make a perfect place.
Unfortunately a reunion between the Walt Disney Company and the NHL team they used to own in the Anaheim Ducks might not be in the cards. It’s very surprising that Disney left one of the four major sports out of their plans for their sports complex.
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Even if you hardly think of Florida as a hockey location when your main clientele is out-of-state players who gear towards the younger demographic it seems like a good idea. It might be too late to lure the NHL for a resumption of their season, but there’s no reason ice rinks should be a part of Walt Disney World’s future.