With a packed house expected in Ohio Stadium, the event is both a chance to showcase CBJ hockey and take it to the next level
For a week, the biggest story in sports was the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NHL international tournament that captivated viewers’ attention this month with both the quality, drama and intensity of the hockey.
The next big hockey event on the calendar?
The NHL Stadium Series, which the Blue Jackets will host Saturday vs. Detroit at Ohio Stadium. The first outdoor game in franchise history should be quite a spectacle, with the league expecting at least 90,000 fans inside the iconic venue on the Olentangy River, making it a perfect setting for both those in Columbus and the television audience watching at home.
Add in the fact both Columbus and Detroit are in the thick of a playoff chase and you couldn’t draw up a better showcase for the Blue Jackets and the city’s hockey community.
“I feel like our fans are really excited to show what we’ve got here,” said forward Sean Kuraly, the Dublin native in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets. “I think the city and the fans and the organization are going to take this moment to show what we have going on and how proud we are of it and the direction that we’re headed in.
“So it’s going to be a really big moment. I think we’re really excited to showcase the city.”
NHL STADIUM SERIES: Blue Jackets host Red Wings at Ohio Stadium | Fan guide to the NHL Stadium Series
As Kuraly noted, for Blue Jackets fans and the organization, the outdoor game has been a long time coming. CBJ fans have supported the team through thick and thin, posting the franchise’s best attendance mark since 2003-04 a season ago, and have talked for years of seeing a game in not just a community icon but one of the most recognizable buildings in sports.
For those longtime fans, Saturday will be a celebration, but for Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell, what’s most exciting is the number of people who might be introduced to the sport by the outdoor game.
He saw it up close in Carolina, which filled North Carolina State’s Carter-Finley Stadium to the brim for a Stadium Series game in 2023. And with the second-largest attendance for an outdoor NHL game anticipated, Waddell expects Saturday’s game will be a chance to show off Blue Jackets hockey to a brand-new audience.
“We probably will have, take a guess at the number – 30,000 people that have never maybe been to a Blue Jackets game,” Waddell said. “People are coming because it’s an outdoor game, and now they’re going to get exposed to Blue Jackets hockey. I think the growth of the game is mightily important from a fan perspective.
“I’ve always said with hockey, we have to get people in the venue to watch the game live. They can become better fans once they know the game and see the game on TV, but to get them their first live viewing I think is a big step, and I think this event will show that.”
The Blue Jackets have hosted plenty of big NHL events before, from Stanley Cup playoff games to the 2007 NHL Draft to the 2015 All-Star Weekend. Columbus and the CBJ organization have received plenty of plaudits for around the league for the support of the fan base, the city’s accommodations and welcoming nature of the community, but the NHL Stadium Series will take things to another level.
Blue Jackets broadcaster Steve Mears has been lucky enough to be on the call for six previous NHL outdoor games as well as work a handful of others, and he said the impact of the events is bigger than anything he’s seen.
“These events are game changers for markets,” Mears said. “The whole league is coming here to see how great a city it is for a big NHL event. On TV, even casual hockey fans and maybe even non-regular hockey fans are going to be watching.
“I think the Blue Jackets, especially with their fan base, have proven that they have the fan support to be able to host this caliber of an event. I think we’re going to see that firsthand on Saturday. It’s just going to be a game changer. It just brings our whole market to the next level, and it’s long overdue.”
Columbus has a history of hosting large-scale sporting events, both inside the sport of hockey as well as outside of it. The total is too long to truly list, but of note, Nationwide Arena hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last winter, and the NCAA Women’s Final Four is coming back to the venue in 2027 and the Men’s NCAA Tournament returns in 2028. In addition, the annual Arnold Sports Festival is this weekend, meaning tens if not hundreds of thousands of visitors will be in town to see what the city has to offer.
Mike Gatto, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Columbus Arena Sports and Entertainment, said he expects the NHL Stadium Series to create around $20 million in visitor spending over the weekend. Linda Logan, CEO and President of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, has helped stage many of Columbus’ signature events over the years and said the community’s history of working together has led to a rising tide that lists all boats.
“I love our community, and I get paid to say that, but I mean it because people collaborate well together, they welcome newcomers to the table,” Logan said. “I think about just how special this is and for how many years we’ve been asking and hoping to host this event. To have it here, it’s just another big feather in our cap.
“Now we just have to think of a new list of aspirational events to come to Columbus.”
Could it be the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Logan said she sure hopes postseason hockey returns to the city for the first time since Nationwide Arena hosted games in 2019, and the Blue Jackets are doing their part by sitting in the second wild card spot going into tonight’s action.
Columbus also loves a winner, and the city has had plenty to cheer about in recent seasons. Not only is Ohio Stadium the home of the 2004 college football national champions, the Columbus Crew captured MLS Cup in 2023, and even both Ohio State hockey teams – which host games this weekend – are in the top 10 of the rankings
In other words, the timing couldn’t be better for an event like this to showcase the Blue Jackets, the hockey community and the city of Columbus, and CBJ players expect Ohio Stadium to be the perfect stage.
“Getting a chance to host a game like this and doing it in conjunction with Ohio State at their stadium, which is a source of pride for a lot of people around Columbus that’s obviously very nationally recognized with them winning the national championship this year, I think that will be cool to showcase itself as a city,” said James van Riemsdyk, who is set to play in his NHL-record eighth outdoor game.
“People have been great to me since I’ve been here. It’s nice to see that the city will get a chance to showcase itself and show what it has and show the pride they have for the Blue Jackets.”
