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No Winter Classic at Yankee Stadium “for the next couple of years”

Yankee Stadium

The Winter Classic might be played at Yankee Stadium at some point, but according to NHL chief operating officer John Collins, it won’t be next year. Or, for that matter, the year after that.

The reason? College football bowl game commitments.

“Yankee Stadium is obviously a special place, but we can’t get in there for the next couple of years,” Collins told the New York Times today.

As for other venues in the New York area, the NHL has looked at MetLife Stadium; however, given the Jets and Giants share the facility, could the NHL even book a date there?

Maybe they could do it at the home of the Mets, Citi Field in Queens – but really, if the Winter Classic is going to New York it should be at Yankee Stadium.

(The NHL has also reportedly looked at the Yale Bowl and West Point.)

Of note, Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor doesn’t appear to be in the NHL’s sights either. Collins told the Times that a Winter Classic hosted by the Detroit Red Wings would most likely be played at Comerica Park, the home of the Tigers.

Collins also spoke to the Times about the possibility of games on the West Coast (unlikely), Miami (don’t laugh, it put in a bid), Minnesota (possible), and Canada (not out of the question).