DETROIT — The Avalanche apparently is out of the running to play host to the NHL’s next outdoor regular-season game.
Before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday at Joe Louis Arena, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stopped short of definitively ruling out Colorado as a candidate as a site for the next stadium game, which would follow the successful Penguins-Sabres game in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 1.
All indications, however, are that the stadium choice — which will be announced in about a month — won’t be in Colorado. The Avalanche and the local sports commission earlier expressed interest in being part of a stadium game in Colorado.
“At some point, Denver will get very serious consideration because we think it will be fun to do an outdoor game,” Bettman told The Denver Post after his pregame news conference. “It’s not where our primary focus is, but they haven’t been eliminated either.”
Earlier, Bettman addressed a broad spectrum of NHL issues, including whether there was anything that could have been done to avoid the bizarre head-to-head conflicts in the Detroit area between Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals and Games 3 and 4 of the NBA’s Celtics-Pistons matchup in the Eastern Conference finals.
Much to the chagrin of many Michigan sports fans, both series were scheduled for Saturday and Monday night games, the NBA in suburban Auburn Hills and the NHL in downtown Detroit.
Bettman, previously one of NBA commissioner David Stern’s right-hand men, was asked if he couldn’t have gotten together with Stern to try to avoid the conflicts. The NHL commissioner said there hadn’t been any discussions because the leagues had no room for flexibility because of television commitments.
“I’m not happy about it in terms of our fans in Detroit,” said Bettman, who also brought up a techno-rock festival at Hart Plaza next to the arena all weekend. “But there’s nothing any of us could do. I’d prefer there be no techno concert, there be no Tigers game. I prefer that . . . all the restaurants in Detroit closed, (with) everybody staying home and watching us. It’s not realistic. And I’m sorry for the fans that are caught in the switches and feel that they’re conflicted, but I’m confident that NHL fans, Red Wings fans in Detroit will be watching our game.
“It’s unfortunate — and it’s unfortunate in a funny sort of way, because Detroit sports fans are fortunate that two of their teams are doing so well. Who would have thought?”
