Normally the NHL is coming out of the dog days of the regular season in late February as teams begin the final push for a playoff berth. However, most are hoping after a thrilling 4 Nations Face-Off that hockey can continue its momentum.
One of the first tests will be Saturday night when ESPN carries the Stadium Series matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings from Ohio Stadium.
“The season feels very different to me this year,” said ESPN's Steve Levy, who will host the outdoor game. “I think the players that were involved or those not involved were energized by watching. The NHL has a ton of momentum really at a perfect time, and it has kick started the final quarter of the season.”
It also doesn't hurt that the league has plenty of storylines coming off 4 Nations. Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin needs 12 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s career NHL record of 894 while the league’s trade deadline is one week away.
ESPN announced this week that it has added seven additional games, including two featuring Ovechkin and the Capitals.
“That keeps the hockey interest going overall, and that helps motivate us internally as well as externally. So 4 Nations into Ovechkin into Stadium Series, that’s a great position for all of us to be in right now,” said Linda Schulz, who oversees ESPN's NHL production.
The Stadium Series usually has significance due to the location, but it carries huge implications in the Eastern Conference playoff race. After Thursday night's 5-2 victory, Columbus is tied with Detroit for the first wild-card spot. Both have 66 points, and are four points clear of Ottawa, Boston and the New York Rangers.
The Red Wings haven't been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2016 while the Blue Jackets are in contention even while mourning the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in August.
Besides the Ohio-Michigan rivalry being manifested on ice, Ohio Stadium should provide a great backdrop because college stadiums seem to be more conducive to NHL Stadium Series games with not a lot of sideline room. The fans are also more on top of the rink and closer to the ice compared to when the outdoor games have taken place in baseball parks.
“The NHL does a really good job of finding these iconic settings. And ‘The Horseshoe’ just screams that," Levy said. “If you’re naming five iconic college football stadiums, this is one. Just like ‘The Big House’ in Michigan (which has also hosted a Stadium Series game) is on that list.”
With the game being outdoors, ESPN will use a drone to capture some of the views as well as testing some new virtual graphics.
While Canada's 4-3 overtime victory over the United States in the 4 Nations championship averaged a record 9.3 million viewers, Levy and ESPN are hoping that some stick around the rest of the season and going into the playoffs.
“We’re not going to keep them all. But what percentage of those same fans who were wowed by 4 Nations an we keep a little longer? Because everybody in this sport knows once we get to the Stanley Cup playoffs, you can get them to that point. They’re going to stick around regardless of what teams are in just because the postseason so intense and crazy,” Levy said.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Joe Reedy, The Associated Press
