A Blizzard, a Morning Skate, and a Sudden Postponement: Inside a Wild Day at Nationwide Arena
Monday morning in Columbus was supposed to be business as usual for the Blue Jackets. After a day off Sunday, the team was set to hit the ice at 10:30 a.m. for their morning skate ahead of a scheduled matchup against the Los Angeles Kings later that night. But what unfolded over the next 90 minutes turned a routine game day into one of the strangest mornings in recent memory at Nationwide Arena.
Let’s rewind for a second.
Sunday brought a historic winter storm to Columbus-one that left 11.9 inches of snow blanketing the city. That number tied a daily snowfall record for January set way back on Jan.
6, 1910. For context, weather records in Columbus go all the way back to 1885, and this kind of snowfall has only been recorded once in the last 141 years.
The storm effectively shut down the city. Most counties were under Level 2 or Level 3 snow emergencies, limiting travel to essential personnel only.
Schools were closed Monday, and most would remain closed Tuesday as bitter cold temperatures lingered even after the snow stopped falling.
Despite the storm, the Blue Jackets and Kings were still expected to play. The biggest question early Monday wasn’t whether the game would happen-it was how many fans would be able (or willing) to make it to the arena.
But by noon, everything had changed.
The Calm Before the Storm (of News)
At 10:30 a.m., as scheduled, the Blue Jackets took the ice for their morning skate. Everyone expected to be out there was present, including defenseman Denton Mateychuk, blueliner Dante Fabbro, and forward Miles Wood-all working their way back from injury. Mateychuk, in particular, looked ready to return to action, skating on the third pair with Egor Zamula.
After about 30 minutes, the skate wrapped up and players began heading to the locker room. The mood was light. Boone Jenner, the team’s captain and longest-tenured Blue Jacket, shared a story about trying to get his young son out in the snow for a sled ride.
“He wasn’t too fond of it,” Jenner said, laughing. “I got him outside in the sled for the first sled ride, so that was fun.”
Jenner, who’s seen his fair share of Columbus winters, admitted this storm was unlike anything he’d experienced during his time in the city. “Yeah, definitely. Probably the most since I’ve been here, no doubt.”
Mateychuk, a Canadian native used to snowy conditions, was still surprised by how quickly things escalated. “We get it,” he said.
“But not straight from bare grass to a foot-and-a-half to two feet of snow. It seemed like a lot.”
Head coach Rick Bowness held his usual media availability and confirmed that Mateychuk was set to return to the lineup. Everything still seemed on track for puck drop that night.
Meanwhile, Across the Ice…
The Kings, who had arrived in Columbus around 3 a.m. Sunday morning following their game in St.
Louis, spent their off day at the hotel watching the NFL conference championship games and grabbing meals. They took the ice for their morning skate at 11:30 a.m., with goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg manning each end of the rink.
Again, everything appeared normal-until it wasn’t.
As the clock crept toward noon, signs of change started to surface. Team staff members were frequently on the phone.
Equipment bags were being packed. There was a noticeable shift in energy.
Word began to circulate that the game might not happen after all.
Then, at 12:02 p.m. Eastern time, the NHL made it official: the game between the Blue Jackets and Kings was postponed. The league announced that the game would be rescheduled for March 9 in Columbus.
So, What Changed?
That’s the big question. Both teams were in town.
Both completed their morning skates. The arena was prepped.
Yet, the game was pulled less than eight hours before puck drop.
Franklin County had been under a Level 3 snow emergency from Sunday into Monday, meaning roads were closed to non-emergency travel and violators could face arrest. That was downgraded to Level 2 early Monday afternoon, but road conditions remained treacherous.
Many side streets hadn’t been touched by plows. Bitter cold added to the danger.
Given those conditions, it appears the decision-makers ultimately prioritized public safety-especially for fans and arena staff who would have had to navigate the icy roads. But the timing of the decision raised eyebrows.
If postponement was on the table, why wait until both teams had gone through their full morning routines? Could the game have been played without fans?
Those questions remain unanswered for now.
A Rare Game Day Twist
It’s not often you see two NHL teams go through their entire morning routine-skates, media, lineup confirmations-only to have the game called off shortly after. But that’s exactly what happened in Columbus. In a league where routine is king, this was a curveball nobody saw coming.
The Blue Jackets will regroup and return to practice Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. The Kings, meanwhile, will travel to Detroit for their originally scheduled game against the Red Wings on Tuesday night-the second leg of what was supposed to be a back-to-back.
As for Columbus, the cleanup continues. Snowplows are still working overtime, and the city is slowly digging out from one of its most significant storms in over a century. One thing’s for sure: this was no ordinary game day at Nationwide Arena.