Stadium Series will be 'experience you've never ever seen before,' Ohio State president says

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets may have a hockey-crazed Buckeye as a good-luck charm when they play the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, FX-CA, TVAS-D).

Ohio State University president Walter Edward "Ted" Carter Jr. has a strong rooting interest in the Blue Jackets' first outdoor game. If he can do for Columbus what he "did" for the Washington Capitals seven years ago, the Blue Jackets would be ecstatic.

As superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, he remembers the Stadium Series game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, on March 3, 2018. The Capitals credited their 5-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs as a turning point in their championship season and gifted the Stanley Cup to Carter for a day.

"It was 100 times better than I ever imagined it would be. It was the Washington Capitals against Toronto Maple Leafs," Carter said Tuesday. "The Washington Capitals were kind of right where the Blue Jackets are now competing for a playoff spot, they end up winning that game. And remember, the Olympics had just finished up, so we had the women's gold medal ice hockey team there, the men's curling team gold medal, and the whole scene was amazing, and the Caps go on to win the Stanley Cup that year."

Carter, who has been who has been president at Ohio State since Jan. 1, 2024, showed he is invested in his adopted hometown team when talking about the back-to-back games against the Red Wings, beginning Thursday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, FSDNDET). The Blue Jackets (27-22-8) are battling the Red Wings (29-22-6), among others, for a wild card in the Eastern Conference.

"We get to see them before they come here, so that's a two-game series, I think, that might help define what the future for the Blue Jackets is going into the Stanley Cup run," he said.

Carter, 65, is no ordinary fan; he was a four-year letterwinner in hockey at Navy and captain for his senior season in 1980-81. During his media availability, he mentioned he recently played an alumni game and proudly noted he scored.

After the Naval Academy, he became a flight naval officer, graduating from the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as "Top Gun," in 1985, a year before the iconic movie of the same name starring Tom Cruise was released.

Carter not only trained pilots but flew 125 missions in support of military operations in Bosnia, Kuwait, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

His call sign? "Slapshot."

He loved hockey growing up in Rhode Island on outdoor rinks and ponds. That's why he appreciates what the NHL does with events like the Stadium Series and Winter Classic.

"It's kind of where it's supposed to be," he said. "It brings back what you learn to do as a group. Most hockey players grew up in someplace cold. I remember getting on the ice at 8 o'clock in the morning, coming home at sunset, my feet being frozen.

"Every hockey player has gone through that and that's what brings the fun out for these great players that get to be outside again, and the weather is going to be perfect."

Forecasts call for an afternoon high in the low 40s before sunset at 6:24 p.m. ET.

Carter plans to skate on the Ohio Stadium ice at some point but wishes he had the opportunity to play an NHL game.

"There was a time in my life, early on, that I actually had a dream of playing at this level," he said. "Funny thing happened -- I stopped growing. Just never was big enough or good enough to do that."

Instead, he will be out front in supporting the Blue Jackets' first outdoor game at the venerable 103-year-old stadium, home of Ohio State's football team.

"I don't know how many people we'll have here," he said. "I think the ticket sales were well over 80,000. For all the fans out there, if you're wondering about whether or not to come to this, buy a ticket. This is historic.

"It's going to be an experience you've never ever seen before. Even if you've never seen a hockey game, come to 'The Shoe' and see it."