Stars Likely Hosting More Outdoor Games in 2021

Think back to January 1, 2020, whenever Alexander Radulov blasted a one-timer on the feed from John Klingberg and Jamie Benn.

Remember the roar of the 85,630 people in attendance whenever that powerplay and eventual game-winning goal went into the back of the net.

The 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic was a lifetime memory for Stars fans but there could be more.

Stars fans got their dream of not only their team being in the Winter Classic but hosting it. It turns out that the first 16 hours of 2020 was pretty much as good as it gets for the rest of the year.

Covid-19 has altered the NHL landscape, especially for the upcoming 2021 season. News stories break daily now that negotiations of the season are underway.

The Stars got some great news that they could be hosting multiple outdoor games for 2021.

The obvious candidates to host are the Cotton Bowl, both Globe Life Stadium and Field and AT&T Stadium. The Cotton Bowl already had the Winter Classic and it’s in Dallas so that would be the most likely choice.

Stars fans would love for another opportunity to attend more outdoor games because of the massive success from the last one, having the 3rd highest attendance in hockey history, not just NHL history. Fans would flock in droves for another chance to watch their team in an outdoor game and the Stars should absolutely play every one they can.

The question is how many outdoor games will they play?

There is speculation that every Stars home game in 2021 could be outdoors. This would be something else but even just 1 more game would be great. Imagine the roar of the crowd had the Stanley Cup Final been at the Cotton Bowl. Realistically, the Stars actually may have a legitimate chance should they request to host more outdoor games. However many home games they play, they could split half between the outdoor venue and the American Airlines Center. Even if the Cotton Bowl allows 1/4 capacity, it’s still over 20,000 fans that could attend games.

2020 has been one of the worst years in recent memory. Nothing is settled in the talks about the upcoming season as there can even be a lockout. For everyone’s sanity, let’s try to avoid that at all costs.