Michigan-Ohio State provides perfect preview for Stadium Series

COLUMBUS -- The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry isn’t just a game. It is known as “The Game.” The emotion boiled over after the Wolverines upset the Buckeyes 13-10 in front of 106,005 at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, the teams scrapping at midfield. When a Michigan player paraded with his school flag, an Ohio State player ripped it down.

You could joke that a hockey game broke out.

Funny, because a hockey game will break out in that very spot when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on March 1. This time, “The Team Up North” will be the Detroit Red Wings.

“It’ll be awesome,” said A.J. Hawk, the former Ohio State linebacker, whose brother-in-law is Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson, a Michigan product. “It’s always cool to watch [the Stadium Series on television], and the whole Ohio State-Michigan situation adds a whole other element to it. I know people in Ohio and people in Michigan kind of have deep feelings about it one way or another, so it’s going to be great.”

Even if you’re just a casual sports fan, your bucket list should include a Michigan-Ohio State football game and an NHL outdoor game. The Blue Jackets’ first outdoor game will combine the two. The NHL tries to make each event special by tailoring it to the venue, so expect the League to lean into Ohio State football tradition and “The Game.”

After all, people here sing a song called, “We Don’t Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan.” They cover the letter “M” with an “X” everywhere during Michigan week. Even the Blue Jackets did it this week on X, formerly known as Twitter. Will people do it to the letter “D” to diss Detroit for the Stadium Series?

“It was really cool to witness as a kid, and it still is to this day,” said Johnson, who grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and played hockey at Michigan from 2005-07. “It’s the best rivalry in sports.”

Ohio Stadium might be one of the best venues for an NHL outdoor game. That’s saying something, considering the League has played in many iconic stadiums, including other college football cathedrals like Michigan Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium.

Known as the Horseshoe -- or the Shoe, for short -- Ohio Stadium has double-decker stands around three quarters of the field and a grandstand in the south end zone. The stands sit tight to the sideline, and they seem to rise straight up and loom over the field. It remains to be seen what the capacity will be for hockey, but the attendance should be the biggest in Blue Jackets history and one of the biggest in NHL history.

“When I first got to college, I wasn’t sure what to expect and what it would be like,” said Hawk, who played football at Ohio State from 2002-05. “During big moments in games, it can be crazy. The whole place shakes.”

The Blue Jackets got a taste of it Oct. 5, when they sat in the stands and appeared on the field during Ohio State’s 35-7 win against Iowa.

“It just seems like people go on forever, but they’re on top of you,” Johnson said. “You feel pretty small. There are definitely a lot of eyes on you at that point. It’ll be a unique experience that guys will never forget.

“You have the American college guys on the team that really know what they’re getting into, that are really looking forward to it, and the guys that don’t know anything about it, we’re excited for them, because they’ll realize it when they’re there.”

Saturday would have been a great day for hockey, with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s Fahrenheit. If anything, it was too sunny. The fans arrived early to tailgate and watch the Buckeyes walk from St. John Arena to Ohio Stadium. What the Blue Jackets will wear for their arrivals?

The Ohio State University Marching Band -- also known as “The Best Damn Band in the Land” -- performed the “Script Ohio,” spelling “Ohio” in cursive on the field with a tuba player dotting the “I.” The band has done it on the ice at Ohio State hockey games. What about an NHL game at Ohio Stadium? How else might the band be involved?

The crowd roared when Ohio State scored a touchdown or made an interception. How will it sound after Blue Jackets goals?

“People are super passionate about the Blue Jackets,” Hawk said. “They absolutely want this. I think it’ll be one of those things where the Blue Jackets fans want the nation to see what it’s like, that they care about the Jackets and they’re behind them.”

It’s ironic that the Blue Jackets have five Michigan products on their roster: Johnson, defenseman Zach Werenski and forwards Gavin Brindley, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson. When they defeated the Calgary Flames 5-2 at Nationwide Arena on Friday, the Wolverines accounted for the first four goals. Fantilli had two, Johnson and Werenski one each.

But they represent Columbus now. During a TV timeout in the third period Friday, the Blue Jackets played a video of a famous incident in the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry: the Buckeyes tearing down the Wolverines’ “M Club” banner at Michigan Stadium in 1973. Then they played the song, “Hang on Sloopy,” like the Ohio State band does before the fourth quarter of football games at Ohio Stadium. The fans knew what to do. They spelled “O-H-I-O” with their voices and arms.

“It was awesome,” goalie Elvis Merzlikins said.

Just wait until March 1.

“It’s an awesome stadium,” said Werenski, who grew up in the Detroit area, played at Michigan from 2014-16 and has played in Columbus since 2016-17. “There’s no denying it. The Shoe there is just a great venue for football. I’m sure it’ll be a great venue for a hockey game. Just really excited.”