NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika spoke with both Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets players about their outdoor hockey experiences, as well as what they expect to happen this upcoming Saturday at the Stadium Series:
The Red Wings will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS-D, FX-CA).
More than 80,000 fans are expected at the Horseshoe, which means the attendance won’t approach the record but should rank among the top three or four in NHL history.
“It’s cool to have the bragging rights,” Compher said. “But that’s quite a lot of people to play hockey in front of.
J.T. Compher and Dylan Larkin were younger when the NHL’s Winter Classic was held at the Big House in Ann Arbor…
“It was cold, but it was really cool,” Compher said. “You could see the divide at the 50-yard line of the red and the blue. It was super fun to go watch. It was a fun day.”
Larkin called it “awesome.”
“It was just a great day, beautiful, the Big House with the snow,” Larkin said “It was picturesque. I’ll remember that. It was a cold day, but just a great setting for hockey with that jersey matchup and the Winter Classic logo. It was great.”
And Larkin is looking forward to this Saturday’s game:
“It’s going to be a great event,” Larkin said. “I’ve never been to the Horseshoe, and especially with what happened this year with Michigan and the whole thing after the game … That was interesting. And credit to Ohio State winning the national championship. Their fans are excited. The last two national champions, it’s pretty cool. It’s a cool story.”
