The big moment finally has arrived!
After a year of buildup, it’s finally time for the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, which will take place in Ohio Stadium on Saturday night between the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.
Not only will the Blue Jackets’ first-ever outdoor game be a spectacle, there are plenty of events going on around the game to keep fans entertained. We’ll post here throughout the weekend about all the goings on before and after the game.
Friday afternoon and evening, the Blue Jackets and Red Wings will practice before festivities kick off Saturday with the Honda NHL PreGame on Lane Avenue starting at noon. Doors open for the NHL Stadium Series pep rally at St. John Arena at 1:30, with platinum-certified band O.A.R. taking the stage at 2:30. The CBJ team will join after 3 p.m. then take Ohio State football’s traditional gameday walk to the stadium, with game festivities then set to begin at 6 p.m.
Stay tuned to read about everything going on in Columbus.
3:43 p.m.: The Blue Jackets are set to take the ice in Ohio Stadium around 4:30 p.m. for practice, though you have to wonder how many players try to sneak out early just to see the surroundings and get ready.
As we wrote earlier today, outdoor games are a unique bird, half a celebration of the sport and a memory that will last a lifetime — and a battle for two crucial points in the standings once the puck actually drops.
Tomorrow is exceedingly important for both teams, but there will be a lot more levity today. Practice will be intense, for sure, but this is also the one day the team gets to take the ice without the pressure of a game. In addition, once the Jackets are done with practice, they have the chance to get on the ice with their family and friends for a skate.
The iCloud is about to get a lot bigger in Columbus over the next few hours.
“I’m sure Friday will be very special with the family skate, the practice, getting to see everything, getting used to it,” CBJ captain Boone Jenner said.
The fun continues all the way until, oh, 6 p.m. or so Saturday.
“Warmups will be cool when you’re looking around,” Jenner said. “I think it’s it’s game on from there for us.”
2:34 p.m.: The future of girls hockey and women’s hockey is bright, and it got a little brighter on Friday afternoon.
The NHL, Columbus Blue Jackets, ESPN and Ohio State hosted a luncheon at OSU’s Longaberger Alumni House announcing the inaugural ‘Empowerment Grant for Girls Hockey’ to the Columbus Ice Hockey Club. In addition, the NHL and ESPN announced a grant will be given to OSU’s LiFEsports program to help grow the game.
At a time when women’s sports have never been bigger, it’s all about seizing the momentum and growing the game.
“We are bullish on girls hockey at the NHL, not only because we know what sports in general does for confidence in girls but also because we understand how important women are to the fandom of our sport,” said Kim Davis, the NHL’s senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs. “Today, 40 percent of our fans are women, and that comes from making sure that we invest in girls at an early age.”
Davis noted that five years ago, only four NHL teams had girls only-focused hockey programs; now, every team does. After the phenomenal success of its inaugural season, the PWHL is now in its second year of selling out buildings across North America, and in Columbus, Ohio State has built a national championship-winning women’s program that is inspiring more and more young girls to get on the ice.
It’s a perfect storm to keep making the game bigger and better.
“The boulder is rolling downhill,” said Blake Bolden, an Ohio native who starred at Boston College before embarking on a pro career. “There’s just been such great ambassadors for the game, women that are trailblazing. I think we’ve done a great job of loving the sport that we grew up playing and wanting to see it on a big platform.
“Right now, we’re seeing it. We have a pro league. We have a rivalry series (between U.S. and Canada) and we have stadiums filled up watching the best women in the world play. Now little girls can look up and become professional hockey players and play at some of the best universities in the nation.”
1:54 p.m.: The cannon has arrived.
The famous 1,500-pound replica of an 1857 Napoleon-style Civil War cannon was placed on a truck and left the Front Street entrance of Nationwide Arena around noon, arriving at Ohio Stadium by 12:30 p.m. After a quick cleaning, it was transported into the stadium and placed in its honored spot at midfield next to the rink.
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