Tag: NHL Winter Classic

National Hockey League to add more outdoor games to 2013-2014 schedule

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Love the Winter Classic? There will be six of them next year.

TSN reported today that the National Hockey League intends to sign contracts with four additional stadiums to host outdoor games. In addition to the Winter Classic at Michigan’s Big House on January 1st, 2014 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, five other outdoor games will be added to the regular season schedule.

Those dates are:

  • January 25, 2014 – Anaheim Ducks @ Los Angeles Kings, Dodger Stadium
  • January 26, 2014 – New York Islanders @ New York Rangers, Yankee Stadium
  • January 29, 2014 – New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers, Yankee Stadium
  • March 1, 2014 – Pittsburgh Penguins @ Chicago Blackhawks, Soldier Field
  • March 2, 2014 – Ottawa Senators @ Vancouver Canucks, BC Place

    • What do you think of the move towards more outdoor, high-capacity hockey games?

    History of the Winter Classic

    Tania

    Jose Theodore at the first Heritage Classic in 2003
    Jose Theodore at the first Heritage Classic in 2003

    With the Winter Classic tickets now on sale, and the unveiling of the new Calgary Flames jerseys for the game, many people may be wondering, how much history is there behind the Winter Classic? And where did these crazy hockey fans get the idea to ice over a football field to have almost 60,000 dedicated hockey fans stand out in the cold to watch their team play?

    Well, the first outdoor game of this kind was the NHL Heritage Classic, held in 2003 when the Montreal Canadians played the Edmonton Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The players and crowd of 57,167 people had to endure temperatures between -18C and -30C at the outdoor stadium. The game was almost canceled 30 minutes before game time due to concern over the temperature. It was so cold that Canadian’s goalie Jose Theodore wore a tuque over the top of his goalie mask.

    The idea of playing an outdoor game originated from the Cold War series between U.S. College rivals Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Read More