Hockey may not be the first thing that you think of when you think of Texas, but that is about to change. The highly anticipated annual Winter Classic is making its way out to Dallas this year on New Year’s day, making it the southernmost location for a Winter Classic yet. The Dallas Stars are set to face the Nashville Predators in a rivalry game that has grown immensely over the years. Both teams are not from your traditional hockey markets and many people do not realize just how popular hockey is in both Nashville and Texas.
The 2020 Winter Classic is being held at the Historic Cotton Bowl Stadium. Cotton Bowl has a long history in Dallas, serving as a prominent stadium over the course of its history for multiple different colleges and professional football teams amongst multiple other sports. It was once the home of the Dallas Cowboys and was even used as a field for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The Stadium has a capacity of 92,100 fans and is expected to be in full capacity on January 1st, making it one of the highest attendances of an NHL game in the history of the sport. 80,000 tickets were sold in the opening hours of ticket sales, further proving the loyalty and the importance of hockey in the South.
Over the past decade, the Nashville Predators fan base has become one of the most passionate and dedicated fanbases in the sport. The loyalty of the fans will be out on full display on New Year’s Day at Cotton Bowl Stadium as the NHL has announced that over 20,000 Nashville Predators fans are making their way out to the lone star state to watch their team take to the ice to open the calendar year. “We have the best fans in the league. They show up every game, the fans have been supporting us since day one and we are really looking forward to having them there,” said Nashville Predators star Filip Forsberg.
Even for the practices, hundreds of fans gathered around the stadium and in the stands to watch the Dallas Stars practice, many of whom were sporting their Stars or Predators Winter Classic gear. The excitement from the fans can be felt in the atmosphere around Dallas. Everywhere you go downtown, both Stars and Predators fans are sporting team apparel and showing their support for their favourite teams.
It is a level of excitement that is not understood until you get to experience it first hand. The Stars and Predators fans are obviously passionate hockey fans, but not too many people would have expected to see the level of excitement and passion that both fanbases have brought to Dallas. It is a testament to hockey’s growth in areas that were once thought to be untraditional hockey markets.
The 2020 Winter Classic marks the first time that the Stars and Predators will take part in an outdoor game. Every fanbase relishes the opportunity to see their favourite team play outdoors at the Winter Classic. You never know when the next time you will get to see your favourite team play outdoors might be, especially on such a big stage. The fans know this and are doing everything they can to show the hockey community that there is a big hockey market in the South.