The Wild this season will host an NHL Stadium Series game against the Blackhawks at TCF Bank Stadium, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday said that the Vikings' future home, U.S. Bank Stadium, would be an unlikely potential site "for a Winter Classic," according to Jace Frederick of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. The facility, slated to open in '16, "features doors that slide open on one side of the stadium," but is otherwise indoors. Bettman, speaking at a press event to promote the Blackhawks-Wild game, said, "It kind of defeats the purpose of taking the game back outdoors to its roots. I mean, I try to never say 'never' about anything, but we think when we're going to do these games, we want them outdoors. Big venues are nice, but when they're indoors, it doesn't represent what we're trying to accomplish." For this year's Stadium Series game, TCF Bank "beat out other possible Twin Cities sites," such as Target Field. Bettman said of the Twins' ballpark, "We looked at it, but on balance, for this game and our purposes, [TCF Bank Stadium] is where we felt we should be." The game against the Blackhawks is slated to start at 2:30pm CT on Feb. 21. Wild D Jordan Leopold said of the game starting earlier in the day for warmer weather, "Who knows. February, January weather, you have no idea" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/6).
LET'S TAKE THIS OUTSIDE: The AP's Dave Campbell noted the NHL has staged 14 outdoor games in the past seven years, but Bettman said fans, communities and teams "cannot get enough" of them. Bettman: "They're far from being overdone or saturated." He said of the Blackhawks-Wild game, "I have no doubt the game will be sold out and that it will be a big deal" (AP, 8/5).
INTO THE WILD: In Minneapolis, Michael Russo notes season-ticket holders for the Wild, Blackhawks and Univ. of Minnesota football "get priority access to a limited number of tickets" for the Stadium Series game. Information on ticket availability for the general public "will be released at a later date." Tickets "range in price between $109 and $449, and that includes both the alumni game" and the Blackhawks-Wild game. Those prices, "set by the NHL, are consistent with previous outdoor games." The Wild "loses one home date, but the league makes the team whole for all revenue (tickets, merchandise, concessions, etc.) from a typical regular-season home game at Xcel Energy Center." The game, which is "expected to draw 52,500 fans, will be on NBC as part of Hockey Day In America." Wild Owner Craig Leipold at yesterday's press event said, "This is going to be an iconic game." Leipold was "using a cane because he's to undergo double hip replacement surgery on Aug. 12" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/6). YAHOO SPORTS' Josh Cooper wrote Leipold was "dogged in his pursuit" of the outdoor game, which "will be about American hockey, in an iconic territory for the sport" in the U.S. Bettman: "(It) gives us all the opportunity to reflect on and appreciate how much our game has grown and how much potential lies ahead." As is the case with "most Stadium Series/Winter Classic events, the biggest moment will probably be the alumni game" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/5).
