BSN Exclusive: Avalanche outdoor game at Air Force Academy to happen “sooner rather than later”

While there has yet to be an exact date, the NHL is moving closer to announcing an outdoor game between the Avalanche and a to-be-determined opponent at Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium.

“It’s going to happen sooner rather than later,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told BSN Denver. “It’ll be there, and it’s real.”

The planned NHL outdoor game, which could happen next season, would be the second in Colorado, with the 2016 Coors Stadium Series game at Coors Field between the Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings – including an alumni game – a raging success. It would be part of a series of outdoor games the NHL is coordinating at United States military academies. Last season, the Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Naval Academy in Maryland.

Falcon Stadium has a seating capacity of 46,692 for football. It’s anyone’s guess as to who the opponent would be. Detroit made for a natural choice for the first one, with so much great history between the two teams. But with the rivalry having waned, partially because of the Red Wings’ move to the Eastern Conference, a more suitable opponent for the AFA game could be a Central Division team such as Minnesota or Nashville. The Chicago Blackhawks are always a popular choice for outdoor games as well, because of TV ratings.