COLUMBUS -- The second-largest crowd in NHL history will witness the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, TVAS-D, FX-CA).
Steve Mayer, president of NHL content and events, said Wednesday that projections are for more than 90,000 fans at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“This is an iconic place,” Mayer said. “I've watched some incredible sporting events take place in this building, and it's special to be here and for us to actually look at what will be the second-largest crowd in the history of these outdoor games, and to know that even though it started many years ago, we're still going strong, and we're bringing a game to Columbus for the first time. It's kind of unbelievable that we haven't been here.”
The attendance number will not reach the crowd of 105,491 at Michigan Stadium for the NHL Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2014, nor the official football capacity of 102,780. This is due to the number of seats unavailable to accommodate the stage for the performance by Twenty One Pilots during the first intermission and the platforms needed for television cameras that are different than the set locations for football games.
The second-largest crowd is 85,630 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 1, 2020, for the Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators.
Besides Twenty One Pilots, the pregame concert by O.A.R. and the Ohio State athletic band performing throughout the game, Mayer teased some surprises.
“We want people on Monday, when they go back to work, to talk about this, and to say, ‘Oh, did you see that? Did you see this?’” he said. “That's important to us, and sometimes it's the unexpected that actually catches people's eyes.”
What isn’t a secret is that the Blue Jackets’ famed goal cannon will be positioned rinkside.
“I promise you it will be louder than it is in Nationwide Arena,” Mayer said, “so be ready for that.”
Mayer said that the event will honor Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who died Aug. 29 when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey.
The Gaudreau family will be at the game.
“We're going to celebrate Johnny and do it in a different way,” Mayer said. “This is a unique worldwide forum to make sure that his story and his memory stays alive, and that he is celebrated and the family is celebrated in a unique way.”
