NHL Interested in Stadium Series Game at Penn State's Beaver Stadium, ESPN Reports

Beaver Stadium could be in line for an NHL outdoor game when the renovations are complete.

A digital rendering of the renovated West Side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, scheduled for completion in 2027. | Courtesy of Penn State Athletics

Penn State has made no secret of its desire to host big events, including an NHL game, at Beaver Stadium. And that is close to happening, according to a report from ESPN.

Steve Mayer, president of NHL content and events, told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that the league "would love to talk at some point about Penn State" hosting an outdoor hockey game at Beaver Stadium after the venue's renovations are completed in 2027. The story comes as Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes, is set to host a Stadium Series game Saturday between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.

Of course, Beaver Stadium will be out of contention for the next two years, as Penn State completes the $700 million renovation of the nation's second-largest venue. But after that, the NHL could bring hockey to Beaver Stadium, with a Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers game being the natural fit.

"We'd love to talk at some point about Penn State," Mayer told ESPN. "We said, 'make us aware of your timeline.' By no means have we committed to them, though we always think it's attractive. Remember the timing has also been interesting over the years too, because we did play back-to-back [2017 and 2019] Philadelphia versus Pittsburgh once in Pittsburgh, then in Philadelphia, which I think you almost have to do when you play at Penn State. It was too soon. And so we've definitely talked again."

Beaver Stadium, like Ohio Stadium, underwent upgrades, namely to their plumbing systems, to host College Football Playoff games last season. For Penn State, the next phase of Beaver Stadium's renovation began with the felling of the press box and removal of the upper seating structure from the venue's West side. Penn State will replace those facilities with a new West tower that will include suites, loge boxes, club seating and a new media facility — everything Penn State needs to host major events outside of football season.

"By making these renovations, Beaver Stadium would be one of the only multi-use entertainment facilities at this scale between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh," Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said last year. "The enhancements to Beaver Stadium will create significant new revenue and increase philanthropy opportunities that will allow us to reinvest funds into all of our student-athletes and allow athletics to continue to be self-supporting. Equally as important, by equipping the stadium for these events, we’ll be able to increase the number of visitors to the region, which will help bolster the local economy. ... The opportunity to host non-football activities and large-scale events at Beaver Stadium will bring additional economic growth year-round."

Penn State chose the $700 million renovation plan largely because it afforded the potential for new revenue streams such as an NHL games. Penn State officials scrapped the idea of simply completing Beaver Stadium's $200 million repairs backlog, which they said would produce a $655 million deficit over the next 30 years. Instead, if conducted according to their budget models, the $700 million renovation would generate a $44 million profit, officials said.

"We looked at just repairing it, and there are more than $200 million worth of repairs needed for the stadium," Sara Thorndike, Penn State senior vice president for finance & business/treasurer, said in a 2024 interview. "And the problem with just going that route is, it doesn't generate any new revenue to pay for it."

Kraft said recently that Beaver Stadium should be close to full capacity for the 2025 Penn State football season even with temporary seating. The athletic department also released a new series of renderings detailing some of the interior spaces that will be part of the renovation.