Report: Red Wings A Candidate for Potential Winter Classic at Ohio Stadium in Columbus
Per reporting from Kevin Weekes and Darren Dreger, the Detroit Red Wings are in consideration as a hypothetical opponent for the Columbus Blue Jackets at a potential Winter Classic at Ohio Stadium.
The venue is the regular home of Ohio State Buckeyes football, so involving the Red Wings would be a play on the rivalry between the Buckeyes and the University of Michigan.
Both the Jackets and Wings have numerous representatives from the Michigan side of that rivalry—between Columbus' Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli, and Kent Johnson along with Detroit's Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, and J.T. Compher.
The Red Wings also have an extended history of appearing in outdoor games, though they haven't done so since 2017.
All the way back in 1954. Detroit featured in the NHL's original outdoor game, a glorified scrimmage in Michigan's Upper Peninsula against the inmates at Marquette State Prison.
In a more modern context, the Red Wings won the 2009 Winter Classic over the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field and lost in a shootout in the 2014 at Michigan Stadium (better known as "The Big House") to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jan 1, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; (EDITORS NOTE: image generated by stitching multiple photographs into a panorama) A general view of Michigan Stadium during the 2014 Winter Classic hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit has also participated in a pair of NHL Stadium Series games: first beating the Colorado Avalanche at Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) in Denver back in 2016, then knocking off the Maple Leafs at BMO Field (home of Toronto F.C.) in 2017.
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