Oh yes, we're just 60 short minutes away from the 2025 NHL Stadium Series matchup between your Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets. By now, you know the tale of the tape, with two teams having recently regained respectability and are vying for at least a spot in the Eastern Conference's wild card.
But there are a few fun facts about this year's Stadium Series that you may not know much about. For one, you're looking at the first-ever outdoor hockey game in the Buckeye State, and it's also the first one in Blue Jackets history. Oh, and did you know today also happens to be the state of Ohio's 222nd birthday?
This matchup also poses some uniqueness, as it's only the fourth outdoor game in league history that has involved two teams within two or fewer points of one another, which naturally raises the stakes for a postseason that will take place about a month and a half from today.
And it comes at a time in which both teams haven't tasted the postseason in going on at least a half-decade. The Blue Jackets haven't enjoyed a postseason matchup since 2020, but for the Wings, you have to go all the way back to 2016.
Shades of an age-old college football rivalry highlight the Stadium Series
Oh yes, this game naturally harkens to the rivalry between the largest schools in Ohio and Michigan, as the Buckeyes and Wolverines go at it year after year either at the Horseshoe or up north in Ann Arbor. But ironically enough, the Jackets are wearing blue and the Wings are wearing red, a complete inverse of the football rivalry.
It's also one featuring two franchise that have been polar opposites of one another, as the Blue Jackets have yet to gain consistent traction since their inaugural season. During the Blue Jackets formative days, the Red Wings were the class of the NHL, clinching Stanley Cups and making annual trips to the playoffs.
Just as the Blue Jackets are experiencing outdoor hockey for the first time, the Red Wings are no stranger to the great outdoors. This will be the fifth time since the NHL made outdoor hockey a regular feature that they'll be taking the ice while battling the elements.
So, while the football rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan features two of college football's most successful and storied programs, this one is rather lopsided. From a historical standpoint, the Red Wings hold a clear edge over the Blue Jackets.
Former division rivals are squaring off at the 2025 Stadium Series
This one's for the young hockey fan who may not remember that the Red Wings and Blue Jackets once played in the same division. Yep, before the most recent realignment in 2013-14, the Wings and Jackets shared a spot in the Central Division of the Western Conference.
Oh, and the Blue Jackets have played the Red Wings more than anyone else in their history, thanks to being Central Division rivals with and accompanying them to the Eastern Conference. While the Wings took up residence in the Atlantic and the Blue Jackets, the Metropolitan, both teams meet three times per year. They were also rivals during the truncated 2020-21 season, once again squaring off in the Central.
As far as numbers go, the Red Wings have faced the Blue Jackets 113 times, with the Jackets taking 46 of those contests, which is more W's against any other NHL team. Still, the Wings have the clear advantage in this rivalry, but will it carry over to tonight following that brutal 5-2 loss not even 48 hours ago?