Hockey at Yankee Stadium
“The House that Ruth Built” may be used to stage a hockey event.
Newsday reported on Wednesday that the NHL is looking at the possibility of having the New York Rangers play the New York Islanders in a regular season game at Yankee Stadium.
“A request has been made to use the stadium for an NHL game in the 2006-2007 season,” Yankees spokesman Rick Cerrone confirmed to Newsday. “The matter is under discussion.”
According to the newspaper, league officials met with both teams as well as city officials and NBC to discuss the feasibility of the event, which would tentatively take place on Jan. 1, 2007.
One NHL team executive informed the newspaper that dates in December also had been presented. NBC is said to be seeking New Year’s Day.
“Everybody likes the idea,” a source told Newsday. “But there are some obstacles. The question is whether the stadium will be usable at that time of year for that purpose.”
However, there were some indications Thursday that the proposal may be on thin ice.
The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., quoted an unnamed NHL official as saying discussions about an outdoor game have been tabled.
“This has been dead for a long time,” the official, who asked not to be identified, told the Star-Ledger.
One of the obstacles could be the plumbing and water pipes, which would require maintenance to create and maintain the ice surface.
The NHL staged its only outdoor game on Nov. 22, 2003, when the Edmonton Oilers played the Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. More than 56,000 fans were in attendance to watch Wayne Gretzky suit up in the Oilers-Canadiens alumni game. The Canadiens posted a 4-3 victory over Edmonton in the regular-season matchup.