Since the 2003 Heritage Classic, outdoor games have become a yearly event, happening multiple times over in the NHL.
Nearly every NHL team has had the opportunity to play in an outdoor game over the last 22 years, including the Nashville Predators twice at the 2020 Winter Classic against the Dallas Stars at the Cotton Bowl and the 2022 Stadium Series against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium.
With Bristol Motor Speedway, located four hours east of Nashville in Bristol, Tennessee, hosting its first MLB game against the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, there is the potential that the NHL could be next to host a game inside the nearly 150,000-seat venue.
In an X/Twitter post by Sports Business Journal's Adam Stern, NHL officials will be in Bristol on Saturday to check out the venue, as Speedway Motorsports wants to bring NHL games and WWE events to Bristol.
Depending on the rink's layout, a game at Bristol could potentially set a record for the most attended game in league history.
Professional sports at Bristol are nothing new, as the venue has a long history.
It has hosted an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins in 1961.
In 2013, it hosted two college football games between Tennessee and Virginia Tech and East Tennessee State and Western Carolina.
The record belongs to the 2014 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Michigan Wolverines, which was held at Michigan Stadium and had a crowd of 105,491. Saturday's setup for the MLB Speedway Classic is expected to sell over 85,000 tickets.
A NHL game at the Speedway would also mark the first time a game would be played inside a motorsports venue, the majority of outdoor games have been played at football and baseball stadiums.
When it comes to the teams that would potentially participate in an outdoor game at Bristol, the Predators would be a clear first choice. Not only are they the closest to the venue, but they would likely have the highest fan contingency.
It would be the Predators third outdoor game.
The next most likely regional option would be the Carolina Hurricanes. Not only is it another team located within the Southeast, but the North Carolina border is less than 40 miles from Bristol. You'd get a true Southern Showdown between these two teams in an iconic venue.
The matchup would be the Hurricanes' second outdoor games, with their first being the 2023 Stadium Series at NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium.
As of Saturday, the NHL has not made any public comments on whether or not they'd like to host an outdoor game at Bristol.
This season's Winter Classic will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa between the Lightning and Boston Bruins on Jan. 1. The Stadium Series is also in Florida, between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers on Feb. 1 at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
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