NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Reveals Ohio Stadium Will Finally Host An Outdoor Game In 2025

The first of two NHL Stadium Series games taking place this weekend wasn't even over when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman revealed where the 2025 Stadium Series game will take place.

He announced that the Columbus Blue Jackets will finally appear in an outdoor game when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Once Bettman announced the news in an interview during Saturday night's Devils-Flyers game at MetLife Stadium, the NHL X account made it official.

29 other NHL franchises have appeared in outdoor games. In fact, on Friday, the Flyers were playing in their sixth, which ties them with the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins for the most appearances of any team.

With news that Columbus will finally head outdoors, the only two NHL teams that haven't made an outdoor appearance are the Phoenix Coyotes and Florida Panthers.

However, the Blue Jackets were always the glaring omission. They play in a city with a cooler climate, plus, The Horseshoe was always the exact kind of iconic venue the league likes to hold these games in.

So what took so long? 

Well, we don't know what was going on behind the scenes. There could have been issues coming to terms with Ohio State to even make the game happen in the first place.

Another reason could be that on the laundry list of NHL rivalries, the Blue Jackets were down the list. 

Star players can help land you an outdoor game — I'm convinced that that's the only reason the horrendously bad Blackhawks are in the Winter Classic next season — but the timing doesn't seem to work out. The Rick Nash era was too early in the league's outdoor game runs, and then the Panarin-Bobrovsky era was a little hit-and-miss.

Frankly, I don't get it, but I'm glad the Blue Jackets are finally getting a shot at hosting an outdoor game. Plus, we'll also get to see a Detroit Red Wings team that is on the rise.

I'm looking forward to this game, and a game at The Horseshoe was always something I wanted to see. So, with that now becoming a reality, let me know where you would like to see an NHL outdoor game by sending an email to mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com.