Kings will play Avalanche outdoors at Air Force’s Falcon Stadium next season

The Kings are headed outdoors again.

This time, it will be in high altitude, at Air Force’s Falcon Stadium to play the Colorado Avalanche as part of the 2020 outdoor game schedule that the NHL fully unveiled Friday.

The event, to be held Feb.15, 2020, will be the first outdoor hockey game at the stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., according to the league. The venue opened in 1962, primarily for football, and hosts Air Force’s graduation. The field sits more than 6,600 feet above sea level.

“Playing in the game will be really cool,� Drew Doughty said in a release. “[It] might be hard with the altitude and Colorado’s a good team, so it’s going to be a good matchup. [I’m] always excited for outdoor games.�

Doughty and the Kings have played in two other regular-season outdoor games, against the San Jose Sharks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in 2015 and against the Ducks at Dodger Stadium in 2014. The Kings also played a preseason game outdoors in Las Vegas in 1991.

That outdoor history aside, the Kings do not play in the same division as Colorado, although the teams played each other in the former preseason Frozen Fury event in Las Vegas. The Kings’ parent company, The Anschutz Corporation, is based in Denver, and the game follows the Washington Capitals-Toronto Maple Leafs game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium last year.

“The game at the Air Force Academy was an opportunity we were eager to participate in due to our connection and focus on honoring the military and our history with the Avs and connection to Colorado,� Kelly Cheeseman, Kings CEO said through a spokesman.

“Also, the connection and influence in California to aerospace in particular was an exciting point. It has been, and remains, a passion of our organization and ownership to participate in this unique event since the NHL announced the game at the Naval Academy. We appreciate the opportunity to fulfill this desire.�

Capacity for Falcon Stadium is listed as 46,692 for football. The Dodger Stadium game had an announced attendance of 54,099 fans and the Levi’s Stadium game had 70,205 fans.

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