Will There Be An Outdoor Game in Montreal Soon?

As it stands, there isn’t really a better spot within the city of Montreal where the Canadiens could host an outdoor game. Fo one, Saputo Stadium is not winterized and has no running water within the stadium during the colder months of the year, so that would pose a giant issue for hosting an outdoor game at the stadium. Not to mention, the size of the stadium wouldn’t work well as a whole.

Then there is Percival-Molson Stadium, the home of the Montreal Alouettes, which could work out better in hindsight in terms of preparation for the game, but the stadium is still too small for what the NHL would likely want for a Winter Classic game. Another issue is that it’s all benches which definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable for fans to watch a game in -20C weather. Therefore, for the best fan experience, Percival-Molson Stadium is not the right place for an NHL Winter Classic.

In terms of seating, the Olympic Stadium would be a great place for a game, but since it’s an indoor stadium where the roof cannot be removed, it wouldn’t be possible to play a proper Winter Classic game at the Big O.

With that being said, the last possible outdoor sporting venue in the city where the Habs could host an actual Winter Classic would be at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Since it is a race track, it would be a different location than ever seen before for a Winter Classic, which could bring new and interesting viewpoints for all NHL teams to approach in the future when pitching the idea of a Winter Classic. For example, the Boston Bruins could host a game at the New Hampshire Speedway if all were to go well in the potential situation at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

Given the size of a race track, there is only a small area of the track that will be used for the game. The Hairpin, as Max Lalonde states, is the location for the Habs would want to use would be a good place because there is a capacity of 100,000 spectators that can fit in the area. This will allow the Canadiens to host the 2nd biggest Winter Classic to date if it all works out. The biggest Winter Classic was hosted in 2014 at Michigan Stadium, where the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings played in front of 105,491 fans.

Plus, with the current setup up the Habs can add some additional seats around the ice that could surpass the crowd amount that was seen back in 2014 at Michigan Stadium.

The only question is how an ice rink can fit along the Hairpin, as I’m not really sure how it can work, but if the Canadiens do get the 2027 NHL Winter Classic, I know they’ll find a way to make it work at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

What are your thoughts about the possibility of having the Winter Classic at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve?