Report: Red Wings, Avalanche to play outdoor game in Colorado

NHL expected to announce 3 outdoor games for next season

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings reportedly will play the Colorado Avalanche in an outdoor game next season in Colorado, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The NHL is expected to announce three outdoor games during this All-Star Game weekend in Columbus. The Minnesota Wild will host the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins will host the Montreal Canadiens on New Year's Day, 2016. The dates for the games in Colorado and Minnesota have not been announced.

This will be the third such outdoor game for the Red Wings since 2009 when the Blackhawks hosted them at Wrigley Field. Of course, the big one was last season's game between the Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. It drew a record crowd of more than 100,000 hockey fans. It probably won't be topped anytime soon.

Those were both NHL Winter Classic games. The Avalanche-Red Wings game next season won't be the actual "Winter Classic," which will be the Boston-Montreal game. The games in Colorado and Minnesota will be considered part of the NHL's "Stadium Series." This year's Stadium Series game will be played Feb. 21 between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

The Red Wings are 1-1 in these modern-era outdoor games, first beating Chicago, 6-4, before falling to the Leafs, 3-2, in a shootout.

The Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry is more than 10 years removed, unfortunately. This would have been a much more anticipated meeting when the teams were both in the Western Conference and playing for the Stanley Cup each year. Although, things can change in a year. Maybe they'll meet in the finals this season? One can dream.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings are on break for the All-Star Game. They won't play again until Tuesday when they visit the Florida Panthers. Detroit went into this break on a five-game winning streak.

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