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.

But please do not be disappointed when we don’t build from scratch a new facility on the Mall to play one game. Please try to enjoy the game wherever it is officially played in the out years.

The game WILL be played here though. It will be a huge and fun event. It will be great for our city and our fans and the team and its players. It will also be great for our local economy.

No dates have been decided. No opponent has been named. Tickets aren’t available.

All that has happened is thus:

The NHL announced we will play in next year’s game in Pittsburgh at the outdoor stadium used by the Pittsburgh Steelers. We will have tickets available for our season ticket holders and fans. I am hopeful we will create a sea of red in Pittsburgh and be wonderful guests and enjoy the experience.

Then – in a couple of year’s time - the NHL will decide where we will play in DC and against whom. We will be the host team and we will all have a great time.

In the meantime, I just wanted to nip in the bud the concept of building a facility for this great event on the Mall and have us all focus on next season at next year’s Winter Classic in Pittsburgh. And after that, we will wait in anticipation for when we are the host city. Thank you. We are all proud that we have essentially been chosen to play twice in this most important event. Go Caps!