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The NHL hopes to announce its schedule of outdoor games for next season at this weekend’s All-Star celebration, including two Stadium Series games -- the Detroit Red Wings visiting the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the Minnesota Wild -- in early 2016. Contracts have not been completed for either of the proposed Stadium Series games, but it’s hoped the final details will be squared away in the next day or so, which would allow commissioner Gary Bettman to make the announcement after the NHL Board of Governors meets in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday morning, a source familiar with the proceedings told ESPN.com Thursday.  TSN's Bob McKenzie was the first to report the opponents for the two Stadium Series games.
While it was widely reported that the Avalanche and Wild would host outdoor games next season -- in addition to the Boston Bruins hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in the 2016 Winter Classic -- the recent situation with the Winnipeg Jets should serve as a cautionary tale on how fluid the discussion surrounding these events can be. The NHL wanted the Jets to host a Heritage Classic outdoor game in late 2015 at Investors Group Field (home of the Canadian Football League Blue Bombers), giving the league four outdoor games over the course of the season. But officials in Winnipeg could not agree on a suitable date, as the football team is hosting next fall’s CFL championship, the Grey Cup, and there was concern about overloading the ticket-buying public. The Jets’ ownership group, True North Sports and Entertainment, took the unusual step earlier this week of confirming that an event that hadn’t been formally announced had been postponed. "True North Sports and Entertainment Limited and the Winnipeg Football Club, along with the National Hockey League, would like to formally announce that they were unable to finalize a date to hold the Heritage Classic at Investors Group Field during the 2015-16 NHL season," the release noted. "All parties are very hopeful that a date can be secured early in the 2016-17 NHL season and will continue working toward that objective. The game will be an exciting celebration of hockey in our province and our city, one which both True North and the Bombers look forward to hosting at a time which works for all parties involved."
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