Report: 2015 NHL Winter Classic venue still not finalized
Less than five months remain until the NHL's annual Winter Classic, hosted this upcoming season by the Washington Capitals.
Unfortunately, the league still doesn't know where the Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks will be playing outdoor game according to The Washington Post's Alex Prewitt and Mike DeBonis.
There are still "hurdles left to clear," they report. Though it has been "widely assumed" that Nationals Park, home of MLB's Washington Nationals, would host the game, NHL officials have also scouted out RFK Stadium and FedEx Field, the Washington Redskins' home, as potential host sites. FedEx Field is likely out of the question, however. The Redskins are hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 28, which would not provide enough time for the field to be converted.
A spokesperson for the National Parks Service also told the paper that the NHL made an "informal enquiry" about possibly having the game on the National Mall. But according to the report, no permit applications have been issued.
The NHL has dealt with similar timeline problems in the recent past of scheduling Winter Classic games, especially with cities where baseball stadiums end up hosting the games. The NHL didn't name Citizens Bank Park as Philadelphia's host venue for the 2012 Winter Classic until Sept. 26, 2011.