How Did We Miss This??

A British friend just alerted me to some pretty neat news - the Germans will be hosting an outdoor hockey game of their own:

On May 7, 2010, history will be made as the opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Championship will be played in a football (soccer) stadium with a potential capacity of 75,976.

Should the Germans sell out the game, it would create a new world record for hockey attendance in a single game, breaking the current record of 74,554, which was set between American University teams Michigan State and Michigan in East Lansing, Michigan in 2001. Tickets for the opening game are already available and cost 19 Euros (standing). The lowest priced seating ticket is 29 Euros.

Here is a good news piece on it, sorry I couldn't figure out how to encode it. This is good news, of course, as hockey will be seen by many more eyes. Let's face it, Chicago will be awesome (I'm going!!) but it won't catch the international eye the way a match at a football stadium would. This year's world championship is being held in Bern, Switzerland - the same arena that the Rangers won the Victoria Cup in. That is a nice building but as any Euro will tell you, there is nothing like a football match for atmosphere. And to have, say, Germany face the Russians or the Canadians on Shalke's pitch should be incredible!

Hmm, I wonder how much the flight will cost ... better start saving now ...