Atlantic Canada will get an NHL preseason game here and there, but outside of that, rabid hockey fans have to be content with QMHJL, AHL or ECHL teams as the highest level of hockey they can view in person. However, if one group gets its way, that could change soon.
According to TSN football insider Dave Naylor, Schooner Sports and Entertainment has told the NHL that it intends to make a proposal to host a future Heritage Classic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The proposal comes with a caveat. Its dependent on a Canadian Football League stadium being built in the city. SSE is trying very hard to bring a CFL team to Halifax sometime in the early 2020s that would be called the Atlantic Schooners.
And that's where the proposal could hit a snag. Schooner Sports and Entertainment wants Halifax to cover up to 30 percent of the cost of building a new stadium for its potential football team, and that isn't sitting well with everyone around the council table, or taxpayers in general. The outcome of council's vote on the issue, which is slated to take place in December, is sure to be polarizing no matter which way it goes.
Still, the prospect of an outdoor game in the home of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand seems like a great idea. The most recent Heritage Classic, which was the first to be held in neutral NHL territory, was a big hit for Regina, Saskatchewan. Certainly the economic spin-offs would be attractive to any city, and perhaps that's exactly what SSE is thinking as it prepared for council's upcoming vote on the stadium. The support of hockey fans certainly wouldn't hurt the group's chances.
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