An NHL game inside Ohio Stadium could be coming soon.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Tuesday that NHL officials visited Ohio State over the weekend to survey the Shoe as a site for a future outdoor game.
“The National Hockey League is constantly planning the bigger events, and the Winter Classic is one of their marquee events. I know that league officials were at Ohio State on the weekend and they were conducting a site survey of Ohio Stadium,” Dreger said. “I’m sure the Blue Jackets are looking forward to this becoming official. It’s not official yet. It’s in the preliminary stages.”
The Blue Jackets, who are one of four NHL teams that have never played in an outdoor game, would host the game against an opponent to be determined.
Previous reports about a potential NHL game in Ohio Stadium had suggested that the stadium would need to be winterized for a game to be played in the Shoe during the middle of winter. An Ohio State spokesperson told Eleven Warriors, however, that there are no plans to further winterize the stadium.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported last November that an outdoor hockey game at Ohio Stadium could be played in late February or March to avoid the need for winterization and so that students would be on campus for the game. TSN’s report, however, indicated that Ohio Stadium is being targeted as a site for a Winter Classic, which is held annually on New Year’s Day unless Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday, in which case the game is played on Jan. 2.
