The Winter Classic is a big event but is also a regular season game worth two points to the winning team. It also serves as a game for season ticket holders and suite holders against their regular season packages. The NHL runs the event in conjunction with media partner, NBC.

The game must be played in a stadium or an arena that has security; locker rooms; public facilities; medical staff and appropriate health care stations; can house ushers; can serve food and provide customer services; and provides all the amenities delivered to the players, the fans and the staff during a regular season game. The facility must have appropriate levels of lighting and power to be able to serve the fans as well as the media and all of the sponsors.

Hence when we do play a game in DC, it will be played in a stadium. It could be a football stadium; a baseball stadium; a college football stadium; or some other kind of outdoor arena.

As romantic and wonderful as it sounds to play on the Mall, it simply won’t happen. I truly understand the desire to do something unique but to replicate what is needed to produce the game on the Mall would not be feasible.

This is a once in a lifetime event. The logistics around it are very hard to deal with and quite expensive as it is but it is worth it because of the nature of the event.

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