Columbus Blue Jackets fans rejoiced Saturday night when it was announced by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that the 2015 All-Star Weekend would be held at the Blue Jackets’ home Nationwide Arena.
The action will take place on the weekend of Jan. 24-25, and though the game is widely welcomed by Ohio hockey fans, it could prove an even bigger deal to those in the state who aren’t loyal to the sport.
The Blue Jackets are the only NHL hockey team in Ohio, and opportunities to play or watch hockey are not as widespread as sports such as baseball and football. In fact, aside from Nationwide Arena, there are fewer than 60 total ice rinks in Ohio, compared to neighbor Pennsylvania’s 100-plus, according to arenamaps.com.
One could argue that Ohio State sports have as much a statewide following as any professional team in the Buckeye State.
In any case, because hockey is not especially popular in Ohio, the All-Star Game in Columbus could prove pivotal for the future of the sport in the state. Events such as the Winter Classic and the All-Star Weekend certainly draw fans from all over.
For example, the 2011 All-Star Weekend in Raleigh, N.C., generated $11.4 million in “direct visitor spending” and $49 million in “media value,” according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau also estimated attendance as 138,000 for the weekend festival. These are large numbers when taking into consideration the area of the country where it was held, which doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of exposure to the
I think the popularity of hockey in the United States is growing, and there is no reason it should be any different in Ohio.
Of course, it always helps to have a team that plays playoff-tier hockey on a consistent basis. The Blue Jackets showed some promise last season — they finished 24-17-7 — but not enough to qualify for the playoffs. However, a move to the Eastern Conference and new rivalries with teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins may change the outlook of the team, despite its 5-8
Interest must spark somewhere, and that place could very likely be at Nationwide Arena during All-Star Weekend in 2015. The All-Star Game in Columbus could potentially draw more Ohioans to the game and has the potential to assist the growth of youth hockey participation in Ohio. It also could give the Blue Jackets grounds to prove themselves to a new crop of fans.
Above all, however, it has the potential to give the Blue Jackets momentum toward
becoming one of the NHL’s premier fan bases.
ks363012@ohiou.edu
