Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin made his opinion on the venue for the 2025 NHL Stadium Series game known, and most of Detroit’s fanbase would agree with him.
Larkin, a Michigan alum, jokingly shared his distaste for Ohio Stadium, the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes, at a press conference and after a team practice Friday. The Red Wings will play the Blue Jackets in the annual outdoor game Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry in college football is arguably the most heated in all of college sports, so it’s no surprise a Michigan alum opted to start trash talking prior to puck drop.
Here’s what he said.
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What did Dylan Larkin say about Ohio Stadium?
Larkin called Ohio Stadium “probably the ugliest stadium I’ve ever been in,” at the 2025 Stadium Series press conference.
Former Michigan star Dylan Larkin had some not-so-kind words to say about Ohio Stadium prior to Saturday night’s NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings.
“It’s probably the ugliest stadium I’ve ever been in,” Larkin said .
(via @DetroitRedWings) pic.twitter.com/8qgzdr5ZDm
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) March 1, 2025
“I’m not too impressed with this stadium,” Larkin told NHL Network with a smile before heading onto the ice for a family skate. “I don’t think it’s anything special.”
Dylan Larkin is ready to take the ice in his third outdoor game.
The @umichhockey alum spoke with @LGRed and @Rupper17 following yesterday’s practice, and he made sure to get some Michigan-Ohio State trash talk in as well.@DetroitRedWings | #LGRW | #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/JIulmLtKxq
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 1, 2025
Ohio Stadium is one of the largest in college football with a capacity of 102, 780. It seats less than the “Big House” where Michigan plays, which has a capacity of 107, 601.
MORE: Which college stadiums have hosted outdoor NHL games?
Where did Dylan Larkin go to college?
Larkin is from Waterford, Mich. and played one year of college hockey at Michigan in 2014-15. He was named a second-team All-American and Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Here are Larkin’s college stats:
| Season | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | SHG | PIM | Shots | +/- |
| 2014-15 | 35 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 151 | 18 |
Dylan Larkin stats
Larkin was named an All-Star in 2015-16, ’21-22, and ’22-23. He’s having another solid season this year, leading the league with 13 power-play goals.
| Season | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | SHG | PIM | Shots | +/- |
| 2024-25 | 59 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 13 | 0 | 38 | 185 | -6 |
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