The NHL Winter Classic is an annual game that is played outdoors on New Year's Day every year. So far the games have been held at Ralph Wilson Stadium in New York, Wrigley Field in Chicago, and this year it will take place at Fenway Park in Boston.
Although these games are exciting, an outdoor battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers would be amazing. Playing in Happy Valley would add even more fire to this already intense, heated rivalry.
This game would shatter the NHL attendance record, which is 71,204, with over 100,000 fans at Beaver Stadium. An additional characteristic is that State College is almost directly in the middle of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Seeing more than 100,000 screaming fans in one of the biggest stadiums in North America, with half the stadium in orange and black, and the other half in gold, black or white, would be incredible. Gary Bettman, the Commissioner of the NHL, stated last May, "The possibility of having the Penguins and Flyers play at some point in Happy Valley is intriguing and on the list of opportunities that we have and will explore."
It is clear that the NHL is all for having this fiery rivalry at Beaver Stadium, but the question is will the university allow it? Laying ice on the field in mid-winter would cause minimal damage, if any at all. This game would easily gross more money than any other NHL game and would also benefit both fans and the university. This spectacle of a game would not only attract more than 100,000 screaming fans from the rival cities of Philly and Pittsburgh, it would attract hockey fans and Penn State alumni from all over the nation. Getting to see these two accomplished rivals in action at one of the biggest stadiums in the country would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Jeremy Phillips
freshman-information, sciences and technology
