Every year on New Year’s Day since 2008, two NHL teams play a regular season game. But it’s not just any game–it’s an outdoor game. Professional hockey games are usually played in indoor arenas, like the Verizon Center, home of the Washington Capitals, but for one day only, players brave the cold of the winter to put on a spectacular outside show for the fans.
So what makes these outdoor games so successful? For one, it harkens back to old-time hockey, when games were played outside on frozen ponds or lakes. The uniforms for these games are often ‘throwbacks’, meaning each team wears its respective jerseys from years past. The outdoor series also puts hockey and the NHL on a higher platform nationwide.
Outdoor hockey brings hockey people together. Fans, coaches, players, and reporters alike all brave the cold in the name of the game. Players have to deal with below-average ice conditions. But it gives everyone what they want–a sense of pride and honor as they partake in these special events. It gives people more to talk about and more reasons to love hockey.
The 2014 Winter Classic was played on Jan. 1 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and featured the first Canadian team to play. The Toronto Maple Leafs finally defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in the shootout, after it being tied 2-2 through the 3rd period and overtime.
However, for 2014, the Winter Classic won’t be the only outdoor game. This year the NHL is hosting the Stadium Series, an event of four outdoor games played in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
The first game was played on Jan. 25 at Dodger Stadium, where the Anaheim Ducks shut out the Los Angeles Kings 3-0. Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller made 36 saves to lock in the win.
The next game, played on Jan. 26, was at Yankee Stadium. The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils in a high-scoring game of 7-3.
On Jan. 29, the New York Rangers played another game at Yankee Stadium against the New York Islanders, with a 2-1 win. That’s two wins for the Rangers is this Stadium Series.
After that, on March 1, the Chicago Blackhawks will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field.
The Washington Capitals are scheduled to appear in the Winter Classic on Jan.1 2015, after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field in 2011.
Maybe the Stadium Series will become a new tradition in the lives of Americans, to keep the hockey spirit alive.
