Story by
NHL pays another visit to Ohio Stadium to plan Blue Jackets' outdoor game
- Story by
- NHL pays another visit to Ohio Stadium to plan Blue Jackets' outdoor game
The puck won't drop at Ohio Stadium until March 1 , but planning for the Blue Jackets ' first outdoor NHL game is underway.
More: NHL shares how to buy tickets for Blue Jackets outdoor game, unveils Stadium Series logo
Advertisement
After sending league representatives for site visits during the Buckeyes ' football season last year and again in the spring, not long after officially announcing the game against the Detroit Red Wings , the NHL was back in Columbus this week. Dean Matsuzaki, the league's executive vice president of events, arrived Thursday for another visit that culminated with Ohio State's game Saturday against Marshall.
Matsuzaki helped plot things such as rink placement and where the NHL's "ice plant" will be set up nearly two weeks prior to the game, and he walked through the stadium with representatives from ESPN ― the primary U.S. television rightsholder for the game ― to assess camera angles and seating areas that may need to be blocked off for broadcast purposes.
Sept. 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes football fans enter the stadium before an NCAA Division I football game against the Marshall University Thundering Herd at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
He also soaked up the full atmosphere of a game day at OSU, from the band's skull session to the dotting of the 'i' in script Ohio to other in-game traditions the NHL may mix into the Blue Jackets' matchup against the Red Wings .
Advertisement
"It's our third day here now, so we've had a lot of planning and operational things the past couple days," Matsuzaki said prior to the Buckeyes' game. "Today is now all about game day, front of house, operations in-stadium, traffic, parking and then all the pomp and circumstance, the game presentation ... all of that. We're going to try to lean into all of what Ohio State does and then use it for our game as well and create the ties."
It didn't take Matsuzaki long to pick up on two things about Buckeyes fans. First, they really support OSU with intensity. Second, they really detest "that state up North" with the same level of intensity.
"We've learned the passion here, and we've learned how much people want to beat a state or a team from up in Michigan, as well," he said. "There's been a lot of that. We've heard about the crossing out 'Ms' on campus, and things like that, and somebody mentioned to me about crossing out 'Ds' for our game. So, that was pretty interesting."
Sept. 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; A fire hydrant, decorated to reflect rival school Michigan, provides a target outside of a portable toilet before an NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Marshall University Thundering Herd at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
Wait until he finds out that crossing out 'Ms' isn't just a thing on campus. And that's a big reason the NHL makes multiple site visits to their planned outdoor venues each year. The Blue Jackets are the 30thof the league's 32 teams to be featured in one of them, which means the league has gotten a lot of practice turning their signature "NHL Winter Classic" and "Stadium Series" matchups into full-on outdoor extravaganzas.
Advertisement
The NHL's ice crew will show up 10 to 12 days prior the game to construct the rink on the field between the 17-yard lines and inside the numbers.
Tickets are available on a presale basis to Blue Jackets season-ticket holders and OSU students, who will watch from the student section, while Oct. 4 is when the NHL will offer tickets to the public through Ticketmaster. There is already a local push to either meet or exceed the attendance of the 2008 NHL Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs held at Michigan Stadium.
Jan 1, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Daniel Cleary (71) gets behind Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) during the 2014 Winter Classic hockey game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The number for the Blue Jackets and/or OSU fans to match or beat is 105,491, which set an NHL attendance record on a frigid, snowy day in Ann Arbor. Current seating plans don't include on-field seats, which is mostly because the NHL uses that space for staging live music performances and logos, but also because sitting on the field for an outdoor game isn't ideal.
Advertisement
It's not like sitting on or near the glass at Nationwide Arena, where the ice surface is still lower than seats in the lower bowl. The outdoor rink is slightly elevated, so viewing angles from field level seats are usually poor. As for matching Michigan's snow and cold, holding this game March 1 in Columbus carries a lot more risk in terms of getting weather conducive for NHL ice.
This year on March 1, the temperatures in Columbus reached a high of 46 degrees and low of 27. On March 1, 2023, there was a high of 75 degrees and a low of 37. Matsuzaki said ideal conditions for the NHL's ice crew are slightly higher than 32 degrees with overcast skies and no rain.
"We've purposely timed the game (6 p.m.) so the sun is off the stadium, things like that," Matsuzaki said. "Weather is the big (concern), but also logistics. We spent a lot of time (Friday) figuring out where we're going to put our ice plant and how to run the piping to the floor and not interfere with other logistics of the stadium, the concourse and things like that."
Drum major Clayton Callendar leads the Ohio State Marching Band onto the field prior to the Aug. 31, 2024, NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium.
As for how the NHL plans to give this outdoor game an Ohio flavor, it's safe to assume the Ohio State marching band will be involved quite a bit, along with other signature Buckeye traditions. A tribute memorializing Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew — who were killed Aug. 29 while bicycling in South Jersey — will also be featured.
Advertisement
"We're very excited, because we've been talking to the Blue Jackets for a long time," Matsuzaki said. "We've actually been talking to Ohio State for quite a long time, and that's part of the timing of the game, with respect to trying to do a game, but moving it a little later gave everyone a little more comfort with the winter conditions here and the winterization of the stadium. So, we are super excited about this game."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NHL planning Columbus Blue Jackets outdoor game with Ohio State flavor
