These venues should be included in the 2025 NHL Stadium Series
By Sean McKenna
1.) The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
There is no more iconic stadium in college football than the Rose Bowl. That’s sure to stir up some controversy, but it’s true. The pageantry, the ambiance, hearing Keith Jackson yell “fummmbleeee” when we turn on the television New Year’s Day evenings—name me something better. It's a perfect venue to hold a hockey game in.
It does have its disadvantages. The weather is not particularly suitable for hockey, with temperatures this week in the mid 50’s in Pasadena. The NHL has experienced this before and has likely unearthed a solution to the temperatures—playing the game at night. This brings even more nostalgia from those late game heroics of Rose Bowls past. It is also a massive stadium with a 92,542-seating capacity. The NHL would likely be concerned with being able to fill that stadium in a market that isn’t exactly hockey crazed. The market is light years ahead of where it was, and the Rose Bowl itself is a travel destination. With the proper marketing ploy, the NHL would be able to fill it without issues.
The Rose Bowl game has an iconic field design, with each end zone adorned in a school’s logo and color scheme. The NHL can do this with its teams that play and can pay homage to the football game. The NHL can have some kind of recording including Keith Jackson’s play by play as well to honor the legendary announcer who can no longer grace us with his majestic voice.
The Rose Bowl is easily accessible for fans looking to travel to this historic coliseum to watch a unique event. It’s about a 40-minute drive from Los Angeles Int’l Airport (LAX) to the Rose Bowl stadium.
The NHL has never had a Winter Classic in Los Angeles and hasn’t taken the NHL Stadium Series this far west since 2015. As it’s a classic football stadium, a cathedral if you will, the NHL can bring in an alternate audience as well, and getting more eyes on the product can only help.
Although it’s an uncommon locale for hockey, the NHL needs to take advantage of this location if possible.