New York Rangers Must Meet Columbus Blue Jackets in Outdoor Game

Despite all the talk about the New York Rangers playing at West Point in the 2017-18 season, there is a better solution in hand for the NHL. New York must match-up against John Tortorella’s Columbus Blue Jackets outdoors.

The New York Rangers have been rumored to be playing in an outdoor game at West Point in the 2017-18 season. Doing so would effectively negate New York’s chances of playing in any other outdoor games in the season, and rightfully so. That being said, there is a better fit for the NHL.

Former Rangers Coach John Tortorella’s Columbus Blue Jackets are ready for an outdoor game. Columbus is one of seven teams that have never played in an outdoor game, making it only fair for it to be their turn.

Additionally, the Blue Jackets have done their part to drum up interest in the team. Columbus boasts a 15-game winning streak, as well as the top winning percentage in the NHL. While that may not carry over to next season, the talent is inarguable.

The venue is there for the Blue Jackets, as a trip to the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes would lend the NHL over 100,000 seats. With that being said, there is the task of finding a team for the Blue Jackets to play. Columbus does not have a true rival, except for perhaps the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh is playing in a Stadium Series game this season, decreasing their likelihood of involvement.

Thus, the New York Rangers enter the fray. The NHL works based on narratives, and a Columbus-New York match-up would include narratives aplenty. Rick Nash returns to Columbus, but this time outdoors. John Tortorella battles the team he once led to a Winter Classic victory, but this time outdoors. Metropolitan foes battle for divisional positioning, but this time….you get the point.

Not only would the NHL be capitalizing on both teams’ successes, but they could create a rivalry in the process. New York would bring in a large fanbase of their own, much like the Chicago Blackhawks did in the Blackhawks-Capitals Winter Classic. Columbus would receive a further look from both local and nationwide fans playing on the big stage.

Furthermore, if the NHL must play at West Point next season, the New York Islanders can receive that game. The Islanders are begging for positive publicity, while hoping to earn the respect of fans in Brooklyn. An outdoor win would go a long way to gaining brownie points with their fans.

Should that not be an option, the NHL has another choice. Given that the Blue Jackets-Rangers match-up would likely be a Stadium Series game, there is room for further exploration. With that, an even bigger idea.

If the NHL wants to fully create a Blue Jackets-Rangers rivalry and make the biggest events possible, a home and home of outdoor games would do the trick. New York cannot be the home team in any game, but they could be the road team in a literal home and home for the Blue Jackets, both outdoors.

One night the Rangers could travel to Columbus for a game at Ohio Stadium, then each team can have their league mandated four day off stretch. Following that, the two teams could meet up again at West Point for a rematch. The first home and home in outdoor hockey history would drum up interest in an otherwise increasingly stale event.

As the Blue Jackets and Rangers continue to win, the NHL has plenty to think about. A meeting between the two teams must be in the works.