Getting the Blue Jackets into an outdoor game is one of those NHL things that's long, long overdue.
Are they a marquee matchup or opponent? Hardly. But that's only half of the battle in creating an event with buzz and excitement. Columbus would, without question, go nuts for a Winter Classic or Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium and a prime opponent like Detroit or Pittsburgh (yes, traveling fans are important) only adds to the allure.
The Blue Jackets are one of a handful of teams – Arizona, Carolina, Dallas, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay and Vegas the others – who haven't yet been invited to play in one of the NHL's outdoor extravaganzas. At this point, it's but a matter of time and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly took it a step further.
According to the AP's Stephen Whyno, Daly (speaking at a press conference promoting the upcoming Blackhawks-Bruins Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium) said the league is "getting close" to a point where it's ready to include those outsider teams in its exclusive outdoor club.
But the most interesting comments, per Whyno, came from Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones:
“We talk about growing the game, right? You have to get nontraditional markets and put outdoor games in nontraditional markets in order to grow the game. You don’t need it to be grown in Toronto or Philly because those are already huge markets. But I understand why ticket sales, all that stuff plays a factor and ticket prices and that stuff. It kind of is what it is, but it would be pretty cool to be in an outdoor game.”
This year's Winter Classic will be the sixth outdoor game for the Blackhawks, who are undoubtedly a draw and quite popular in South Bend, Ind. but the noise surrounding the repetitiveness of outdoor games has gotten louder in recent years. Seemingly, the most interesting aspect of these games has been the unveiling of the special sweaters, but even that's lost some excitement.
