The Jan. 1 game at the Cotton Bowl between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators has sold 84,000 tickets thus far.Getty images
The NHL lowered its expectations for the league’s inaugural southern Winter Classic — which will feature the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars on Jan. 1 — reconfiguring the Cotton Bowl from its football capacity of more than 90,000 to seat a mere 66,000 people.
But in the weeks after tickets went on sale, NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer and his team saw so much demand that for the first time in the Winter Classic’s 13-year history, it opened up additional seating sections to meet fan interest after initially contracting certain sections. With 84,000 tickets sold thus far, this year’s Classic is already the second largest outdoor game in NHL history behind only the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium.
“The response is mind-boggling for us,” Mayer said. “We absolutely felt that this was going to be a market that would embrace the game but to the level they’ve embraced the game, it’s even surprised us. We’re thrilled. Texas hockey is for real.”
Dallas Stars President Brad Alberts echoed that, saying the response is proof the Classic is desired in non-traditional hockey markets.
“They don’t need to play it in the Original Six markets in order to get this kind of attendance,” said Alberts.
For nearly five years, the Stars have had their hand raised to host an outdoor event, he said, in conjunction with support from the Dallas Sports Commission. He explained that for a team like the Stars — which isn’t located in the northeast, is not an Original Six franchise and is embedded in a football state — it’d be easy for the club to be overlooked.
Alberts said the Stars “need to be able to do and execute big things,” with the Winter Classic being a prime example. The event allows the Stars to promote the statewide youth hockey programs the franchise runs as well as to create more fans, some of which may not be traditional hockey followers and some of whom may not have even attended a game at American Airlines Center. Additionally, the Stars’ television footprint stretches into far west Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma City and Tulsa and “maybe a bit into New Mexico,” a region that’s blanketed by five NBA teams alone that the Stars could further tap into.
Having country music duo Dan + Shay headlining entertainment during the first intermission should draw new viewers, too. Beyond the musical act, the NHL’s Mayer said the Winter Classic theme and field design — a project led by the NHL and a group for Populous — will have “a ranch-like” feel to the spectacle. Without divulging too many specifics, Mayer described a setting that’ll feature a gated pen-like area where one would normally see horses or cows along with a stage that’ll resemble that of a saloon. Certain aspects of the State Fair of Texas, such as line-dancing and hoedown performances, will be brought to life during media timeouts.
If that setting feels a bit exaggerated, that’s on purpose, Mayer said, adding that when viewers turn on their television, he wants them to see something unique.
“We’re going to go a little over the top to prove to the person who’s watching in Minnesota, who’s watching in Iowa or who’s watching in Alaska, that we’re playing this game in Texas,” he said.
