There's no question hockey's experiment with outdoor games has done great things for the sport. The NHL's Winter Classic is on its way to becoming a New Year's Day tradition, and with college teams getting on the bandwagon, the potential for games in great venues—such as the ones that will take place Saturday—is only increasing.
Having staged hockey games in classic locations like Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Lambeau Field, there is no shortage of speculation about where the next classic game will be held.
Yankee Stadium is probably the most talked-about location, with plenty of players and analysts dreaming of a hockey game in ""The House that looks like the House that Ruth Built."" I'd rather see such an event in the old Yankee Stadium and not their current white elephant of a ballpark. But even though that's not an option, I'd still be happy to see hockey in one of baseball's most famous venues.
Other than the obvious ones, there are a number of other parks and stadiums that would be great for outdoor hockey—here are a few of them.
Ohio Stadium, Columbus
With last week's announcement that Michigan would take on Michigan State at the Big House in Ann Arbor, I started thinking about which Big Ten stadiums would be well-suited for hockey.
Sure, it would be great to see a ""white out"" at Penn State's Beaver Stadium, but State College, Penn., is hours away from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, so I doubt the NHL could fill such a large stadium. As much as hockey-crazed Minnesota deserves an outdoor game, shiny new TCF Bank Stadium lacks the history of other Big Ten locations.
But Ohio Stadium would be a great fit. Not only is it in the same city as an NHL franchise, the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Ohio Stadium is also an impressively large venue that could host both pro and college games.
Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
The Winter Classic is the NHL's marquee event of the regular season, and the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin is the league's marquee player, so it's only a matter of time before they meet. Bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby and the hype would be so huge, NBC and ESPN might explode.
A Winter Classic between those two teams and their superstar captains would mean the quality of the game would outshine its location, something we couldn't say of this year's ugly Bruins-Flyers contest in Fenway Park. Granted it would need to be a great game, since Nationals Park lacks the history of Wrigley or Fenway, or any history for that matter.
But if you want a Winter Classic in D.C., your options are Nationals Park or RFK Stadium. The choice is clear.
AT&T Park, San Francisco
Okay, it's not exactly the most ""wintry"" location. I can tell you that, growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, there was not much in the way of pond hockey or hockey in general.
But what AT&T Park would lack in winter weather it would make up for with atmosphere. In a sports market that finds itself plagued with terrible teams, the San Jose Sharks are the only jewel left in the Bay Area's sports crown, and have the attendance numbers to prove it (fans in the Bay Area are notorious bandwagon jumpers, and until the playoffs the Sharks are a fun team to root for).
Match the Sharks up with the Anaheim Ducks for a contentious and exciting matchup, and you might swear it was snowing in San Francisco. The atmosphere would be that good.
Where do you want to see the next Winter Classic? Tell Nico at savidgewilki@dailycardinal.com.
