The 2025 Stadium Series appears to have a location and teams

It is long overdue but we finally have the outdoor NHL game announcement that we've deserved as hockey fans.

The NHL is headed to Ohio Stadium, also known as The Shoe, for the 2025 NHL Stadium Series. The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to play the Detroit Red Wings.

ESPN's John Buccigross announced on Twitter (X) on Wednesday night. Neither of the two teams or the NHL has made the formal announcement yet.

This is an incredible announcement as the league can do so much with this. For one, they can use the Michigan vs Ohio State college rivalry to help promote it.

The Blue Jackets vs Red Wings game will be perfect for the Stadium Series

That is amongst the best rivalries in all of sports and now they can bring it to the NHL stage. Michigan fans will be all in on the Red Wings while Ohio State fans will be rooting on the hometown Blue Jackets. A lot of buzz should be created around this rivalry.

The Red Wings are having their first good season in a long time. They are no lock to make the playoffs but at 27-19-6 (60 points), they enter play on Thursday holding down the second Wild Card spot.

As for the Blue Jackets, they are a mess. They have a lot of good prospects in their system at the NHL level and beyond but they haven't been a winner in a few years.

Right now, their record of 16-26-10 (42 points) is good for last place in the Eastern Conference and fourth to last in the entire NHL. It has been a disaster. So much so that they fired their GM on Thursday not long after Buccigross made this announcement.

By this time next year, however, both teams are hoping to be great. It isn't a lock but there are reasons to think that they could be.

It would be cool if the Michigan and Ohio State hockey teams were able to play a few games on this ice. It would only make sense. However, according to Buccigross, there are no plans for this to happen as of right now. That feels like a missed opportunity.

The Stadium Series, Heritage Classic, and Winter Classic are amazing events for hockey fans across the two NHL nations. They are great ways to celebrate this amazing game that we all love. This edition in Columbus is going to be incredible theatre because of the geographical rivalry that exists between Michigan and Ohio.