Columbus Blue Jackets to Host Detroit Red Wings in 2025 NHL Stadium Series

The Columbus Blue Jackets will play their first outdoor NHL game on March 1, 2025, against the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium. Jacob Stoller reacts.

March 1, 2025, will be when the Columbus Blue Jackets play their first-ever outdoor NHL game, and it'll take place at the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The NHL announced Saturday night that the Columbus Blue Jackets will host the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium for the the 2025 Stadium Series.

“This is an event our fans have been extremely excited about, and the Blue Jackets could not be happier to take on the NHL’s team from that state up north next season in one of the world’s most iconic sports venues,” Blue Jackets president and alternate governor Mike Priest said in a statement.

Having an outdoor game at Ohio Stadium is significant for many reasons. For starters, it has a capacity of 102,780. If the number of attendees is close to that figure, there’s a good chance the game will become the second most-attended NHL game in history, just behind the 2014 Winter Classic at 'The Big House,' Michigan Stadium. Secondly, a game between the Red Wings and Blue Jackets is an extension of one of the most storied rivalries in the NCAA — Michigan versus Ohio State.

While no players on either team have played for Ohio State, there’s a large contingent of Michigan alumni on both sides, including Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp from the Red Wings, and Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson and Nick Blankenburg from the Blue Jackets.

There are other players with roots in the area, such as Michigan native Jeff Petry (Michigan), Columbus native Jack Roslovic (Miami University-Ohio) and Sean Kuraly, who also played at Miami University-Ohio.

While the 2025 NHL Stadium Series is a long way away, and things are subject to change, each team's personnel sets the table for an exciting contest.

Detroit is finally starting to turn the corner, with a roster highlighted by Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond that has positioned the franchise to push for its first post-season appearance since 2015-16.

While the Blue Jackets' season hasn't gone as they have hoped — most recently with GM Jarmo Kekalainen being fired on Thursday — they have some of the best young talent in the league. One ought to think their young core – highlighted by Fantilli, Johnson and David Jiricek — will be even more prominent by the time the game rolls around. 

For more reaction, visit The Hockey News' Blue Jackets site.