The greatest rivalry in sports never takes a day off.
Ohio State vs. Michigan is the type of rivalry that is discussed 365 days a year, no matter the sport, but especially when it comes to the gridiron.
While Ohio Stadium will look much different Saturday night when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Stadium Series, the football rivalry was once again brought up leading up to the matchup.
Former Michigan standout and current Red Wings star Dylan Larkin, who has spent his entire NHL career with the Red Wings after Detroit selected him in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, had some not-so-kind words to say about the home of the Buckeyes when asked about the outdoor game in the Shoe.
Former Michigan star Dylan Larkin had some not-so-kind words to say about Ohio Stadium prior to Saturday nights NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) March 1, 2025
Its probably the ugliest stadium Ive ever been in, Larkin said .
(via @DetroitRedWings) pic.twitter.com/8qgzdr5ZDm
"There's a lot of excitement with the guys and it's pretty cool to, to just do something, it's something different," Larkin said. "It's probably the ugliest stadium I've ever been in, but it's cool to play hockey outside."
While it certainly isn't ugly, Ohio Stadium is 103 years old, the 12th-oldest stadium in college football, and will host its first NHL game Saturday night.
“It's probably the ugliest stadium I've ever been in.”– Dylan Larkin on Ohio Stadium
Larkin won't be the only former Michigan star to suit up under the lights in the Shoe Saturday night, as Columbus forwards Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson and All-Star defenseman Zach Werenski are also former Wolverines. In a stadium that will be filled with plenty of Blue Jackets blue with some Red Wings red mixed in, it'll be completely opposite of the way Ohio Stadium usually looks. Maybe, in a way, Larkin was foreshadowing how ugly all of that blue inside the Shoe would look. That said, Werenski's looking forward to going against his former teammate and one of his best friends.
"No rivalry for me this weekend," Werenski said.
When his fiancée, Odette, saw Larkin on Friday, she asked Werenski if she could go up and say hi, to which he had a funny response.
"No, no, no," Werenski said with a smile. "We hate those guys until the game's over."
With more than 90,000 tickets already sold for the event, Saturday night is set to be a special one in Ohio Stadium, no matter the result. The entire day will be special, with plenty of events in and around the Shoe leading up to the game, including Johnny Gaudreau's family leading the Blue Jackets out of the tunnel before the game.
Who's ready to tailgate!? pic.twitter.com/csfyMowXKv
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 28, 2025
Puck drop for the NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings is set for 6 p.m. at Ohio Stadium. ESPN will broadcast the game.
