NHL Stadium Series: Yay or nay?

On Saturday, March 1, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings faced each other in Ohio Stadium. The home team won 5-3.

The Stadium Series has been one of the biggest NHL events each year. However, there are many diverse opinions on whether it is good or not for the league, or whether changes could make it more entertaining for the public.

Let’s dive deep into it.

History of the Stadium Series

The first-ever stadium series was in 2014. The matchup against the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings happened at Dodger Stadium, with the Ducks taking the win on a 3-0 shutout.

Throughout the years of the event, the teams that have played most are the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings.

Yay or Nay?

In my opinion, the Stadium Series is extremely fun.

This is an NHL article, however, the College Stadium Series or for the Big Ten, the Frozen Confines, also have a big potential.

I believe that this event not only is a great opportunity for the fans but also for the league itself to expand and find more spectators, horizons, and growth.

This also is a way to showcase the culture of each team for new fans, be it from the walk-in fits, great moments in the match, or just for the spectacle it is.

I believe that one of my favorite and most expected moments is the walk-in fits. Instead of the usual suits that are mandatory by the NHL, the player wears clothes that represent the city or state where the team is from. This past match the Blue Jackets wore clothes in memory of Johnny Gaudreau.

One honorary mention of the past stadium series is the Seattle Kraken walking in with the fisherman clothes, which will always be in the back of my head. They did not only walk the stadium dressed as fishermen but when walking into the rink, there were people throwing fish between them.

Concerning rink walk-ins now, each team also has the possibility to showcase their “personality” with the song they choose. In my (really biased) opinion, my favorite was the Carolina Hurricanes walking in with “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by Scorpions blasting on the speakers of Carter-Finley Stadium.

The atmosphere that the fans bring is also great. I could not leave without mentioning the “double” Stadium Series by the New Jersey Devils against the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers against the New York Islanders, which gathered many passionate fans at MetLife Stadium.

Two of the only nays for me have been more technical things.

First, the NHL needs to choose more exciting rivalries and matches. We’ve seen great ones so far, but to get to the next level, there needs to be some improvement in that department.

Second, the halftime shows are still lacking something. I love the idea of it, but it should be more well-planned. One of the good examples was the last match with Twenty-One Pilots or the first Stadium Series with KISS.

I believe that the Stadium Series should be one of the go-to for the NHL to try to advertise its league. The exposure it could bring with the small changes needed is immeasurable.

Sofia Miranda is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email szc6483@psu.edu.