K-Wings Going Old School and Taking the Game Outside
Fans have enjoyed the unique experience of NHL outdoor games compared to traditional indoor rinks. The Kalamazoo Wings are set to join that tradition, with plans to host an outdoor game in early 2027.
The Origins of NHL Outdoor Games
The NHL began staging outdoor regular-season games in 2003 with the inaugural Heritage Classic. In 2008, the league expanded the concept by introducing a second annual outdoor event, the Winter Classic.
That distinction dates back to 1954, when the Detroit Red Wings played an unofficial outdoor exhibition against inmates at Michigan’s Marquette Branch Prison
Read More: Michigan Coach Dusty May Heads to NBA
A second outdoor exhibition game took place in 1991 between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers. Now, one Michigan-based team is set to bring outdoor hockey back to West Michigan, hosting a game at a nearby college football stadium during the 2026–27 season.
K-Wings Bring Outdoor Hockey Back to Its Roots
According to FOX 17, Western Michigan University’s (WMU) Waldo Stadium will be transformed into an outdoor hockey venue on January 31, 2027, when it hosts the Kalamazoo Wings. The event will mark the first outdoor hockey game for the K-Wings and the first time WMU’s football stadium has been used for hockey.
WMU's Waldo Stadium is not the only university to host an outdoor hockey game. Both Michigan and Michigan State have hosted hockey games on their respective football stadium fields. The University of Michigan hockey team holds the record for the most outdoor appearances in college hockey history.
Tickets and postgame skate packages for the Kalamazoo Wings’ outdoor game against the Toledo Walleye at Western Michigan University’s Waldo Stadium will go on sale Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m. Single-game tickets will be available beginning Friday, August 7.
This will not be the first outdoor game for the Kalamazoo Wings, as the team previously played two outdoor contests against the Toledo Walleye in Toledo, Ohio, in 2014 and 2021.
More From 97.9 WGRD
