DALLAS, TX – At 8 am, I arrived at the stadium to begin and enjoy the buildup leading to the NHL’s signature event where the entire hockey world would focus on the first day of 2020. It seemed like I would be arriving long before most people. In approaching the stadium, it quickly became clear how late I was.
Lines of people, many sporting their favorite team colors, even from teams not participating in the game, showed up several hours at the gates before they opened. To learn earlier on game day the league had doubts about how popular the interactive fan event would be if it opened a day or two earlier than game day shocked me.
The reaction was pleasantly different than expected. An overwhelmingly crowd created situations where lines were endless to buy a corn dog, see the Stanley Cup and ride some of the rides available to the public at the Texas State Fairgrounds.
85,630 attended the Winter Classic where the crowd was predominantly wearing green. Still of that number, 20,000+ were wearing Predators colors, having travelled 660 miles to see their 22-year old franchise play in their first outdoor game.
All ticketed spectators had full access to the State Fairgrounds and Midway, normally open just more than three weeks each Fall, but reopened for this spectacle. The NHL cleverly integrated hockey-centric activities throughout the grounds with traditional carnival rides and games, many of which were free to patrons.
Pods carried fans overhead on cables from one end of the complex to the other. The ferris wheel spun continuously leading up to game time and then starting up again post-game for four more hours. Bells, sirens and lights went wild when someone one at one of the carnival games. It was really a wonderful site.
Not long after the gates to The Midway opened, I talked with Donna and Scott Oakvath from Arlington, Texas. They were standing in line to get their photo taken in front of the west facade of the Cotton Bowl when I asked them how long it took them to commit to attending from when the game was announced. Donna replied, “Immediately!” and added that as soon as tickets went on sale, she bought two.
When asked when she first began to have a love for the game, Donna stated, “When I was sixteen, I would attend the Dallas Black Hawks games and loved going.” Their only expectation was for the Stars to win, anything else would be a bonus of being at an outdoor classic.
The Oakvaths would watch the game from the west side upper level facing the benches and with a view to their left of the main stage and square-dancing during the breaks.
Predators fans were in full force and I ran into a group of women who travelled from Nashville to take part in the mid-season outdoor classic. Approaching the first set of carnival games,
Selena Rowey, Britney Cavender, Becka Kirby and Meghan Gastens arrived the Monday before the event and committed to attending the Winter Classic the moment it was announced. As season ticketholders, they bought as soon as the special ticket window for them opened.
They have been to St. Louis to see the Predators play and intend to see their team on the road in a different city each year. Britney enjoys the game as “Hockey Mom”, here 9-year old son enjoying regular skates on a team.
Their expectations were to see their Preds win, but to be part of the experience of witnessing a game with so many people in the outdoor atmosphere. This Nashville four-some enjoyed the game from the lower west side, right in front of the pig races.
No matter where you looked, no matter what team colors were seen, hockey fans were celebrating the great game, enjoying the common bond in their love of hockey and looking forward to an experience which very few get to enjoy.
Dennis Morrell has enjoyed a lengthy and fulfilling career in the great game as a hockey writer, photographer, goalie coach, player and currently an active USA Hockey-certified referee, skating over 1,000 games with the whistle. His passion for the game began in the early 70s with his first glance at skaters in Clayton’s Shaw Park. You can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL and can be reached at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com.
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