Yankee Stadium's Hockey Farewell?

As the Yankees close in on their final season at the current Yankee Stadium, it appears as though the final professional contest held at the House That Ruth Built may involve slapshots and powerplays in place of double plays and walk offs. That's right. The Bronx may become Hockey Town USA II as the New York Rangers will likely play a regular season NHL game before the historic venue is torn down.

From the Daily News article:

As the current Rangers continue to drive down the stretch of this season, what is shaping up as a historic 2008-09 schedule now is expected to include a game at Yankee Stadium.

Momentum has built in recent weeks toward finalizing a deal that would have the Rangers play the final game in the storied history of the current Stadium, the Daily News has learned. The Yankees, who will move into their new Yankee Stadium for the 2009 baseball season, are said to be completely on board with having the NHL close the 85-year-old original.

And, anxious to build upon the buzz created by the wildly successful Winter Classic outdoor game between Pittsburgh and Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year's Day, NBC and the NHL are intent upon seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. League and network representatives visited the Stadium recently to get an on-site view of what would need to be done to stage the event.

"It's something we've spoken both to the Yankees and to the city about," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The News. "But it's not a done deal. There are still other possibilities and a lot of moving pieces."