The NHL and the Nationals "have reached terms" allowing the '15 Blackhawks-Capitals Bridgestone Winter Classic, set for Jan. 1, to be played at Nationals Park, according to sources cited by Mike DeBonis of the WASHINGTON POST. Sources said a planned public announcement is expected "very soon." Less than a month ago, with questions "mounting about when the location might be announced, representatives from the Nationals, the Capitals and the NHL remained mum." While Nationals Park "had long been assumed to be the most natural location for the game, league officials had also visited" FedExField and RFK Stadium. The league also "had inquired informally about using the National Mall for the event ... and Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium also had been discussed." A source said that FedExField "had been ruled out" because of the Dec. 28 Cowboys-Redskins game (WASHINGTON POST, 9/6). CSNWASHINGTON.com's Chuck Gormley asked what are "some of the things the Capitals and the District of Columbia can do to make this Winter Classic uniquely Washington?" How about a "presidential puck drop by Barack Obama?" Gormley: "If you could choose a retro Caps game jersey or create a new one, what would it feature?" A sled hockey game "honoring our nation’s wounded warriors likely will be on the docket." Gormley: "What are other ways the Classic can pay tribute to the military?" (CSNWASHINGTON.com, 9/7).
