Skip to main content
All Penn State

NHL Commissioner Envisions Hockey Game Soon at Penn State's Beaver Stadium

Gary Bettman says the NHL will makes its way to Happy Valley.
Mark Wogenrich|
The Penn State men's ice hockey team faces Michigan State for a Big Ten game inside Beaver Stadium.
The Penn State men's ice hockey team faces Michigan State for a Big Ten game inside Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Penn State Nittany Lions

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman endorsed the idea of holding an NHL Stadium Series game at Penn State's Beaver Stadium once the renovations are complete. Speaking with reporters in Pittsburgh on Monday, Bettman acknowledged conversations about an outdoor game in State College.

“There’s been discussions over time,” Bettman said, acording to TribLive. “At some point, that is something we’re interested in pursuing. But the renovations there have put things, for a period of time, on hold. But I would envision, at some point, we will make our way out to Happy Valley.”

The earliest Penn State could host an NHL game at Beaver Stadium is likely 2028, after the Beaver
Stadium renovations are complete. Penn State is in Phase II of its planned $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium, which is scheduled to be finished before the 2027 college football season. The centerpiece of the renovation is a new West Tower that will house suites and other premium seating options.

Penn State officials have made those premium options central to positioning the 66-year-old Beaver Stadium as a year-round entertainment facility. An NHL outdoor game, most likely between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, is among the major events Penn State wants to host 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. "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 took the first step toward a Stadium Series game earlier this year, when Beaver Stadium hosted outdoor hockey for the first time. The Penn State women and men's hockey teams played a weekend pair of games at Beaver Stadium in January.

The Penn State women defeated Robert Morris 3-0 in the first hockey game at Beaver Stadium on their way to the Women's Frozen Four. The men's team hosted Michigan State before 74,575 fans, the second-largest crowd for an outdoor college hockey game. Despite falling in overtime, Nittany Lions' players called it the "coolest environment" in which they've played.

“There's nothing like Beaver Stadium,” Penn State's Dowiak said. “I know that was the coolest environment I will ever play in my life, no matter if I make the NHL or not. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen, ever witnessed. And I just couldn't be prouder to be a Penn Stater and get that opportunity.”

Penn State officials have suggested holding an NHL Stadium Series game at Beaver Stadium for more than a decade, long before the renovation began. And the NHL has shown reciprocal interest. In 2025, an NHL official told ESPN that the league "would love to talk at some point" about Penn State hosting a Stadium Series game.

College stadiums that have hosted NHL outdoor games include Notre Dame Stadium, Ohio Stadium, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium. In 2014, Michigan Stadium hosted 105,491 fans for a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, the largest crowd ever for an NHL game.

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

Home/Hockey