The National Hockey League has announced its venues for both the Winter Classic and Stadium Series for the 2019-20 season. The Winter Classic will head down to Dallas for a matchup between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars. The Stadium Series in Colorado Springs will feature the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche.
The Winter Classic
The Winter Classic will take place at one of college football’s most historic and treasured stadiums, the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl used to be the home of the Cotton Bowl Classic until it moved to Jerryworld (yuck). Some of the biggest games in college football history have taken place at the Cotton Bowl whether it was the Classic to decide a national champion or the Red River Shootout. Adding the Winter Classic to its long list of great sporting events is just another notch for a stadium that is on many a bucket list for fans of college football fans.
It’s an aggressive, out-of-the-box idea by the NHL but I absolutely love it. Hockey is growing in non-traditional markets. The outdoor game was a success in Los Angeles. This is a bold, potentially great move for the NHL and hockey in general.
I especially love the matchup. Dallas has two bonafide stars in Jamie Benn & Tyler Seguin. John Klingberg & budding superstar Miro Heiskanen lead an emerging core of smooth-skating defensemen. The Predators feature a roster rife with good players on great deals. PK Subban might be the best personality in the league as far as active players go. This could be a potential home run for the NHL.
Stadium Series
The Air Force Academy will host the Avalanche and the Kings. Air Force has an established hockey program that has had varied success over the years. Colorado Springs is absolutely beautiful and fans of both teams should be ecstatic to travel there to see a hockey game. The game will take place at Falcon Stadium which makes for some great scenery.
This will be the second time a service academy has hosted in the last three years. The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Washington Capitals last year at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
This trend probably means that the United States Military Academy at West Point will host the event in the future. Hosting the Stadium Series is great publicity for the service academies as well as the league. Furthermore, it gives service members who are fans of these teams a great reason to return to their Alma Mater.
The matchup itself is kind of a letdown to me. Fans have been clamoring for an Avs-Minnesota Wild outdoor game for years. The Kings are old, slow and flat-out bad. The Avalanche have some young, exciting players but are nowhere near being a serious contender yet.
It would be really cool to see Air Force get in on the outdoor hype and host a game of their own to coincide with the Stadium Series. Outdoor games in college hockey are a great opportunity for players who may never play in the Winter Classic or Stadium Series.
All in all, I’m elated by this announcement and can’t wait to see the clash of cultures presented by these venues. This is great news for everyone involved.