With the AHL going outdoors for the second time this week (Providence will face Connecticut at UConn’s football stadium on Saturday), I thought it might be a decent time to gauge the interest of Admirals fans in watching their team play a game outdoors.
The state of Wisconsin is certainly no stranger to showcasing outdoor hockey, with Lambeau Field having played host to Wisconsin and Ohio State in 2006, while Camp Randall Stadium saw Wisconsin and Michigan compete last year.
Rumors around Madison last spring (I haven’t heard anything recently on this) is that the parties that were involved with the previous two outdoor games would be interested in having the Badgers play in a third outdoor contest at Miller Park sometime in the near future.
It would only make sense for the Milwaukee Admirals to have a game at Miller Park as well, perhaps as part of a double header (seems logical for something taking place at a baseball field).
So Roundtable…
Admirals Roundtable 
Would love to see it, and it’d be an honor to work it. I feel no reason to have chicago fans invade Miller Park though, and make it an event for them….so lets have a warm weather team come up and play.
If it was part of a Badger Doubleheader…even better.
An outdoor game would be awesome! However, I’ve heard this question has been asked before and the sources in charge at Miller Park said that Miller Park isn’t set up for any kind of winter events at this time. That was maybe two years ago, so I’m not sure if things have changed, and really what do you have to do to make it “winter ready”?
If that’s the only problem, I’d certainly drive to Madison to catch a Badgers/Admirals doubleheader at Camp Randall.
I voted no. While it’d be neat to see an outdoor game, I think going to something like the NHL Winter Classic would be much more memorable than seeing an Admirals game. The views from the seating area of a football or baseball arena are so far away from the rink. I’d much rather just go to the Bradley Center and see the game. In fact, how about instead of an outdoor game, the Admirals play a double header in Nashville, opening for the Predators. The Admirals office could put together a travel group and head down for the game. That’d be much more exciting for me, personally. :)
I think you would get less people then they get for the Polar Bears at Bradford Beach.
I wish Nashville would play a preseason game here in Milwaukee again. So what if they only got 1100 people.
I agree, I would rather have Nashville play a game here then have an outdoor game.
But of course an outdoor game would be really cool too.
If the Admirals were to hold an outdoor game at a large venue it would almost have to be paired with another game like the Badgers. Otherwise the attendence wouldn’t be there I’m afraid, unless they gave away a ton of tickets.
A Nashville preseason game at the BC would be perfect. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult.
Nashville game at the BC – problem = cost. Aaron Sims (or someone) discussed this on a radio show or during a road game intermission earlier this year. It was said the problem with a Nashville game at the BC would be in order to cover costs, ticket prices would have to be set at NHL regular game prices and the number of people attending a pre-season game for regular season ticket prices was unknown.
I’m curious as to what other NHL teams charge for pre-season games, and/or what price other AHL teams have had to pay for NHL preseason games, some research is in order. Call me a skeptic I guess.
The last time Nashville played in Milwaukee they played the Blues,when Ponger was there. The next day some Journal reporter talked about all the overweight fans wearing hockey sweaters in an article.
On a personal note, I would love to see a Nashville preseason game in Milwaukee and see a Milwaukee game as an undercard for Predators doubleheader. As long as its not an every year event, there would be considerable buzz in Milwaukee for an NHL game, even if it was preseason. Plus it would give Admirals fans a chance to see how some their favorites from the previous year’s Milwaukee club stack up against Nashville, and if they have a shot of making the big club.
As far as the Milwaukee game in Nashville, it could be a great promotion for the Predators on a weak night, say a matchup with Columbus, or Edmonton, or maybe Phoenix, who aren’t terribly strong draws. The Admirals could sponsor a bus trip for Milwaukee fans to attend both. For the Admirals game, Nashville could give away some tickets to youth teams in the vicinity. During the Predators game, some of the Admirals players could mingle with the crowd and sign autographs. Seems like a win-win type of idea.
As far as the outdoor game, I would be all for matchup with Chicago. Wolves fans would certainly make the drive and it would make for a great atmosphere. However, I would enjoy seeing a SunBelt team playing a game outdoors against the Admirals on a bitter Wisconsin winter night. I am sure it wouldn’t effect the play much, but it would make for an interesting curiosity.