Before the Dallas Cowboys versus Arizona Cardinals Monday night football game, the NHL made the big announcement that the Stadium Series is going to Texas. Next year’s edition will see the Dallas Stars play host at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The area is colloquially known as “Jerry World," for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and seats over 80,000.
It will be the venue’s first hockey game. There are questions, for example is it really an “outdoor game” if it has a roof like AT&T Stadium does? First, let’s wonder who the still-unnamed opponent will be. Let’s take a way-too-early look at who the Stars will host during this spectacle in 2027.
The only other outdoor hockey game in Dallas Stars history was the 2020 Winter Classic against the Nashville Predators. Predators fans travel well, which would make sure the event is beyond a sellout.
Perhaps the most obvious choice is the Colorado Avalanche.
Both teams are in their prime with their cup window wide open so it’s sure to be an entertaining matchup. Also they’ve become frequent playoff foes. Since 2018 (the year the Avalanche’s current playoff streak began) they’ve met each other three times, with Dallas winning each matchup. Then again Colorado actually won a cup in that timeframe while Dallas has yet to get over the conference final hump since 2020.
One thing that might hold this matchup back is that both teams play in the same conference. Choosing a team from outside the Central Division might add a little more geographic appeal. Then again that doesn’t mean the NHL has shied away from inter divisional matchups in outdoor games before, in fact quite the opposite. Maybe the league will want to play it safer since Dallas is an “untraditional” playoff market? The 2020 Winters Classic was an inter divisional matchup, as was the 2024 Winters Classic that saw the Vegas Golden Knights go against the Seattle Kraken.
Speaking of frequent playoff opponents the Golden Knights would be another easy choice. Just like the Avalanche, the Stars have met the Knights three times in the playoffs, with Dallas holding a 2-1 advantage. That one loss was in 2023 when the Knights were en route to their first Stanley Cup championship.
A dark horse candidate would be the Utah Mammoth. The Arizona Coyotes turned Mammoth (yes, we know the NHL calls them an expansion franchise but for all technical purposes it’s a relocated one) remains the only NHL franchise without an outdoor game since the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the 2025 Stadium Series. If the 2024 Winter Classic is any indication, the NHL is making a conscious effort to include its newer franchises in the pageantry of outdoor games. If the early returns of this season hold up the Mammoth should be a force to be reckoned with in the Central Division next season as well.
Alternate Governor for the Mammoth Chris Armstrong recently spoke about the team’s hopes for an outdoor game on Cole Bagley’s Utah Hockey Podcast. Armstrong was specifically talking about Utah playing host to the game. The Salt Lake City area does have two college football stadiums that could potentially play host. If the NHL extended the invitation for the still new team to play on a major outdoor stage, even as the visitor, it would be hard for the Mammoth to say no.
For various reasons the teams the Stars have faced off against in the Stanley Cup final might not be great choices for various reasons. The Buffalo Sabres, who the Stars beat in the 1999 Stanley Cup final, are still in the midst of their decade plus playoff drought and not a huge national draw. The New Jersey Devils, who beat the Stars the following year, also might not be the best national draw and have already been involved in multiple Stadium Series games since the event's inception. The Tampa Bay Lightning, who beat the Stars in 2020, are hosting their own Stadium Series game this season and will be unlikely to have back to back appearances.
Last might be two teams you don’t necessarily think about from the Metropolitan Division in the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. Neither team has any real rivalry with the Stars, but remember this game will take place in the Cowboys home. Dallas has a well known football rivalry with those cities. Both city’s fan bases would be sure to watch or travel to the game. Would it be the best matchup from a hockey stand point? Maybe not, but it would make money and could play off the city’s NFL tendencies. Plus the Rangers always seem to be one of the NHL’s “usual suspects” when planning outdoor games.
Speaking of that, the Cowboys also have an in division rivalry with the Washington Commanders. That’s to a much lesser extent than with New York and Philadelphia, but it still exists. Maybe Alex Ovechkin returns for one more season before his NHL retirement. This Stadium Series matchup would be a perfect highlight as he skates off into the final season of his historic career.