What are the odds...

of an outdoor hockey game in Fort Wayne?

Be prepared for the phrase economic infeasibility.

The Fort Wayne Komets taking on their top rival at Parkview Field in a local version of the NHL Winter Classic sounds like a blast. It also sounds like a great way to get some use out of the ballpark during the winter.

The fact that H-E-double-hockey-sticks is more likely to freeze over before there is an ice rink built over the TinCaps ball diamond should not put a chill on the community conversation about how to get the most use out of the new stadium.

“We’d love to do it! We have a great relationship with the TinCaps, and it would be a ton of fun. But it’s just not possible,” said Scott Sproat, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Komets.

Not possible? Why?

The American Hockey League is set to play its first outdoor game on Feb. 20. That game is expected to cost about $700,000. Tickets are set at $50 for premium seats, $30 for regular seats and $20 for standing-room-only. Sproat astutely points out that the highest price for a Komets game is $20. And with that you get a seat and heat.

The strategy was always for Parkview Field to become a multiuse venue. Fortunately, it appears TinCaps officials are trying to meet the goal. “All along we’ve said we want to have lots of events, and we have,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. “But not a ton of them have been sports events.” The TinCaps want to continue to look for opportunities to welcome other sporting events to the ballpark. Nutter mentioned an event like a soccer tournament as a possibility.

The economic infeasibility of the Komets facing off at Parkview Field is disappointing. But the clamor demonstrates several positive things:

Since I am such a nattering nabob of negativity, you will have to click the link to find out what the positive things are.