Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators Announce 2020 Winter Classic Plans
Wednesday was a big day for the 2020 Winter Classic. The NHL, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators held a press conference at the Cotton Bowl and announced plenty of new information about the big game.
Though 286 days still separate the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators from participating in the 2020 Winter Classic, the hype is still prevalent. And on Wednesday afternoon, the hype took another step forward.
A formal press conference was held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, with members of the NHL, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators on-hand. Some of those members included NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Stars President Brad Alberts, Predators Chairman Herb Fritch, GMs Jim Nill and David Poile, and a handful of other representatives from the NHL, NHLPA, Bridgestone, and Dallas Fair Park.
In addition, Dallas Stars players Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen, and Ben Bishop participated in the presser as well.
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It was an opportunity to hold an onsite event, reveal the official logo for the Classic (yes, it’s a belt buckle), and publicly release a plethora of new information about the event. It was the first time that new updates had arisen since late January when the Predators were officially announced as the Stars’ opponent.
So, whether you got a chance to watch the live broadcast of the press conference or not, what all was announced? What all did we learn?
From ticket prices, to jerseys, to all of the events being scheduled around Dallas for the week of the tournament, it was a highly informative event that once again kickstarted the excitement for the event.
Here’s a review of some of the presser’s most noteworthy notifications and highlights.
Ticket prices and release dates
Let’s start with the biggest topic that Dallas Stars fans have been anxiously contemplating since Jan. 1, 2019 when the NHL announced the Stars as hosts of the 2020 Winter Classic: ticket information.
When the news initially broke about the Classic coming to Dallas, team President Brad Alberts noted that the Stars’ plan was to make the tickets reasonably priced in an attempt to maximize attendance and draw fans both from Nashville and all across the state of Texas.
The ticket map was released with a color-coordinated view of the stadium, with prices ranging from $55 to $475.
Here’s a look at the map.
Here is the ticket price map for the Winter Classic. pic.twitter.com/5pNOVsdDIt
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) March 20, 2019
Those seem to be fair prices indeed. Considering it’s a one-time event on a national scale, getting a really good seat for less than $200 is a good deal. For reference, the cheapest lower-bowl ticket for the Dallas Stars vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game this Saturday at the American Airlines Center is $139. That’s game 75 of the 2018-19 regular season against one of the biggest stages in the NHL.
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Puck Prose
In addition to prices being released, the release dates were also announced. Dallas Stars 2019-20 season ticket holders will get the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the Winter Classic on April 1. Following them, all half-season ticket holders and 10-game plan holders will have a chance. Finally, tickets will be sold to the general public starting on April 23 at 10 a.m. CT.
There are expected to be somewhere between 70,000-80,000 seats available for purchase in the Cotton Bowl.
Events
In addition to the game itself on New Year’s Day, there will be plenty of entertainment leading up to the big game.
Unlike in some recent NHL outdoor games, the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators will not host an alumni game the day before the actual Classic. Instead, the Stars will help put on a youth hockey tournament with over 250 youth teams involved throughout the Dallas area in the week leading up to the game itself.
In terms of entertainment, country music will be a main centerpiece in the show and will likely make up the intermission performance. With Texas and Tennessee coming together, a country theme seemed almost too predictable.
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In addition, there will also be festivities going on at the State Fairgrounds. There is a fan fest planned that will include plenty of family-oriented experiences and events that warrant fan participation.
To top things off, the American Airlines Center will not be booked by the Stars on New Year’s Eve for the first time in years. With that being said, the plan at the moment is to schedule a concert for both hometown and visiting fans to attend.
Jerseys
Finally, there was an update on jerseys and logos. While both Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators fans are anxious to see and get their hands on Winter Classic jerseys and merchandise, the announcement came on Wednesday that they would not be officially released until the fall.
This was foreseen to a certain extent considering the 2019 Winter Classic jerseys (for the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins) were not released until November of 2018.
“I think when you play someone within your division, it means a little bit more and those two points are extra special when you can get them. The rivalry that we’ve built with Nashville over the years has been pretty fierce and continues to be fierce. It should be a pretty intense game within two great organizations and then a battle of the fans as well.” –Jamie Benn
With all of that, the Wednesday press conference revamped the excitement and energy surrounding a milestone event. The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators will make history in more ways than one on Jan. 1, 2020.
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But until then, the hype will have to serve as enough.