Nationals Hint at Outdoor Game in D.C. - The Penguins May Be Involved

Earlier today, the Washington Nationals MLB team posted the following picture of Nationals Park covered with snow on their Instagram page.

If you take a look at the caption, it reads, "hey @capitals you like what you see? ☃️" Could this be a hint at a future Outdoor Game at Nats Park? If it is, then the NHL would be braindead to not involve the Penguins.

With the Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks at historic Wrigley Field receiving the lowest ratings in Winter Classic history, the NHL is in a bind when it comes to marketing their premier events.

I get it, Connor Bedard is very marketable, but the Blackhawks just aren't a good hockey team right now. As for the Blues, they're nothing special either. It was a strange choice regardless if it was at Wrigley Field.

I have a sport management degree, and I have several powerful friends in collegiate athletic departments and professional teams all across America. If I asked all of them how they would fix this season's Winter Classic flop, the consensus would be one thing, and one thing only: Sid vs Ovi.

Nationals Park hosted the Winter Classic in 2015, and it's reasonable to think that with a decade in the rearview mirror that the NHL could go back to the well and allow D.C. to host another Winter Classic game.

The Penguins and Capitals have played in a Winter Classic together. It was all the way back in 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Capitals got the upper hand of the Penguins in that one, winning 3-1. In that game, neither Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby recorded a point.

It's time to run it back, and I think NHL fans at large would be on board with one more bout between the two greatest players of their era.

There is no guarantee the Penguins will face the Capitals in the playoffs again, although if the Penguins were to make it this season, there's a strong chance it could happen. However, the point is we may never get to see Sid vs Ovi on a true national stage in a unique setting ever again.

Crosby is still point-per-game at the young age of 36, and Ovechkin is knocking on the door of the NHL's all-time goals leader. If Ovechkin doesn't reach that mark this season, there's only one option for next year: Winter Classic. Nationals Park. Capitals hosting the Penguins. One last heavyweight match in front of a national audience.

Ratings would skyrocket. It might be the most watched game in decades.

Your move, NHL. It's time to ignite the Pittsburgh vs. Washington rivalry one more time...perhaps once and for all. Time is running out. Every moment with both of these legends involved should be cherished. Do the right thing, Mr. Bettman.