Two CFL stadiums will be used for NHL outdoor games in 2016-17

The NHL has announced four outdoor games for 2016-17, and two of them will be played in stadiums that are also the homes of CFL teams. The Winnipeg Jets will host the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field on Oct. 23, while the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Detroit Red Wings Jan. 1 at BMO Field. Both of these moves are somewhat expected, as both the Jets and Leafs have been rumoured to be in the outdoor plans for quite some time. Still, both of these games have significant CFL connections.

It's unusual to see an outdoor hockey game during the middle of a football team's season, but at least the CFL schedule appears to have been planned with this in mind. The Bombers' last home game before Oct. 23 is Oct. 8, so there will be plenty of time to convert Investors Group Field to a hockey configuration. There should be enough time to turn it back, too; the Bombers are at home the following week, but don't play until Saturday, Oct. 29, so at least there's most of a week to turn things around. Still, you never know how those transitions will go.

The Toronto game isn't during the CFL season, but it still bears a notable tie to the league. This will be the Argonauts' first season at BMO Field, and the stadium will play host to the Grey Cup in November. To do that, its capacity will be temporarily raised to 40,000 seats (from the normal range of around 25,000 for football and 30,000 for soccer). Hosting an outdoor game in January will allow those temporary seats to be retained for a couple of months and used again, which will be beneficial for everyone involved. It's also a further reflection of the importance of the partly-publicly-funded BMO Field renovation, which was what allowed the Argonauts to move there in the first place.

At the moment, it doesn't look like there's anything for the CFL to be particularly concerned about with these NHL outdoor games. The Winnipeg one could potentially pose a problem if it does damage to the field, but the six days between that and the Bombers' next home game should be sufficient. Meanwhile, the Toronto game shouldn't affect the CFL at all, but the decision to host the Grey Cup there this fall definitely makes it much easier to do an outdoor hockey game at the same stadium with the same temporary bleachers. The NHL doesn't appear to be adversely affecting the CFL here, but it's worth noting the CFL's role in these games, and in Winnipeg in particular, keeping an eye on if the field conditions could potentially affect the Bombers.