The Cleveland Monsters and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will face off in the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Saturday, March 4 at 1:00 p.m.
The Monsters, top affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, will meet the Penguins, top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the first outdoor professional hockey game ever in the city of Cleveland, and the 11th outdoor game in American Hockey League history.
Situated on the shores of Lake Erie, FirstEnergy Stadium is the home of the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns.
Following an exclusive 24-hour pre-sale for Monsters Hockey Club Members and stakeholders of both organizations, tickets for the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at noon ET. Tickets, starting at only $10, can be purchased by visiting clevelandmonsters.com/outdoor or by calling 216-420-0000.
“We are thrilled to bring the spectacle of outdoor hockey to Northeast Ohio with the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic at FirstEnergy Stadium,” said Mike Ostrowski, President of Franchise Properties for Rock Entertainment Group which includes the Monsters and the NBA G League’s Cleveland Charge. “The home of the Browns will be a fantastic setting for this historic American Hockey League event and we can’t wait to see fans from across the region at the lakefront to watch the Blue Jackets’ and Penguins’ stars of tomorrow battle it out on the outdoor ice.”
“Cleveland is a remarkable sports city, and the passion of fans in our region is at the heart of it,” said Haslam Sports Group Chief Commercial Officer Eric Clouse. “Along with the Browns, FirstEnergy Stadium has been home to the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Soccer Teams, local high school programs and many major concerts and events, and we know the Monsters and their great fans will bring exceptional energy to the venue during the city’s first professional outdoor hockey game.”
This will be the second outdoor event in which the Monsters have participated; they visited the Rochester Americans at Frontier Field in December 2013. The Penguins played the Hershey Bears outdoors at Hersheypark Stadium in January 2013.
“We are delighted to continue the AHL tradition of outdoor games with the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic,” said AHL President and CEO Scott Howson. “The city of Cleveland has a long and storied history in the American Hockey League, and we look forward to having our fans and players experience the exciting environment in FirstEnergy Stadium on March 4.”
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for all 32 NHL teams; nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
| AHL OUTDOOR GAME HISTORY |
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| Date | Site | Result | Attendance |
| Feb. 20, 2010 | New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, N.Y. |
Syracuse Crunch 2, Binghamton Senators 1 | 21,508 |
| Feb. 19, 2011 | Rentschler Field East Hartford, Conn. |
Providence Bruins 5, Connecticut Whale 4 (SO) | 21,673 |
| Jan. 6, 2012 | Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia, Pa. |
Adirondack Phantoms 4, Hershey Bears 3 (OT) | 45,653 |
| Jan. 21, 2012 | Ivor Wynne Stadium Hamilton, Ont. |
Toronto Marlies 7, Hamilton Bulldogs 2 | 20,565 |
| Jan. 20, 2013 | Hersheypark Stadium Hershey, Pa. |
W-B/Scranton Penguins 2, Hershey Bears 1 (OT) | 17,311 |
| Dec. 13, 2013 | Frontier Field Rochester, N.Y. |
Rochester Americans 5, Lake Erie Monsters 4 (SO) | 11,015 |
| Dec. 30, 2013 | Comerica Park Detroit, Mich. |
Toronto Marlies 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 3 (SO) | 20,337 |
| Dec. 19, 2015 | Raley Field West Sacramento, Calif. |
Stockton Heat 3, Bakersfield Condors 2 | 9,357 |
| Jan. 7, 2017 | Memorial Stadium Bakersfield, Calif. |
Bakersfield Condors 3, Ontario Reign 2 (OT) | 12,330 |
| Jan. 20, 2018 | Hersheypark Stadium Hershey, Pa. |
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5, Hershey Bears 2 | 13,091 |
