Only the beginning
NHL planning more outdoor games at US service academies
ANNAPOLIS, Md. The NHL’s first outdoor game at a U.S. service academy probably won’t be its last.
After the Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Naval Academy, the league hopes to play games at Army’s West Point and the Air Force Academy over the next few years.
It’s a significant foray into honouring and partnering with branches of the military that follows the lead of the NFL and Major League Baseball for a league that’s split between the United States and Canada.
“It’s unique and as we continue to move forward with the outdoor games, you look for new concepts and new themes and new things that’ll interest the fans,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press on Saturday. “Certainly the hope is, with a successful game (at Navy), we’ll continue the venture with the Army and the Air Force and we’ll see where we go from there.”
Daly said he’d be surprised if the sequel to Maple LeafsCapitals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium comes as soon as the 2018-19 season, though 2019-20 is a possibility. The Florida Panthers faced the New Jersey Devils inside in an exhibition game at West Point’s Tate Rink in 2006, and ownership connections to the Army make the Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights strong candidates for a potential outdoor game there.
American-born players taking part in the game at Navy said they were honoured to get the opportunity. Told of the NHL’s future plans to attempt games at Army and Air Force, Maple Leafs defenceman Ron Hainsey called it “a great road for us to go down.”
“It’s a nice recognition and a little partnership almost that we’re able to play here,” American-born Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen said. “I think means different things to different people. As a country, it means a lot, especially the Americans that play in the league and our fans.”
The NHL has 24 Americanand seven Canadian-based teams and is made up of about 49 per cent Canadianborn players. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces took part in pregame ceremonies with the Maple Leafs, and Daly said involving a team from north of the 48th parallel was a conscious decision that didn’t meet any resistance.
“I think North American forces are united,” Daly said. “I think there’s a real appreciation for the military wherever you are, north or south of the border. While it was something we certainly thought about, it certainly hasn’t been something that’s been an obstacle at all.”