By ANTHONY PUCIK
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
When the NHL announced that they were going to have outdoor hockey games that included more than just the Winter Classic in Detroit, I was a bit skeptical. When they said that they were going to have not one, not two, but four extra outdoor hockey games, I thought they were crazy. To be honest, I completely hated the idea. I loved the Winter Classic, mainly for its unique setting. I initially thought the “Stadium Series” would be overdoing the entire outdoor hockey idea, making the Winter Classic lose its unique and special value.
Seeing the crazy hype over each game combined with the extremely questionable jerseys that were made for each team (the Ducks looking like traffic cones and the Devils looking like glorified Christmas ornaments), I still didn’t really like the idea of this Stadium Series. Too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing, and that’s what I thought the Stadium Series was doing to outdoor hockey. However, after witnessing the game between the Ducks and Kings in Dodger Stadium and the Rangers and Devils in Yankee Stadium, I can admit that I was entirely wrong about the Stadium Series. Both games were exciting and definitely worth the hype, and the NHL should be extremely happy thus far with the Stadium Series’ success so far.
Starting off in Los Angeles, I thought that having an outdoor hockey game in California, regardless of climate, was just simply absurd. This is not to say that California doesn’t house passionate hockey fans, because they certainly do. But, if it was perhaps too warm to play (it was 63 degrees at game time with humidity) this would make people not want to attend or make for a sloppy game due to melting ice, which is just what the NHL would need to make the Stadium Series start off on the wrong foot and prove my fears of it ruining outdoor games accurate. The California faithful and the Ducks and Kings, aside from those hideous orange jerseys Anaheim donned, did not disappoint, however, and the game was a huge success. The attendance at the game was announced as 54,099, and Dodger Stadium looked as packed as it would be if the Dodgers were in the midst of a postseason race in late August. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd loved it, the fans loved it and the players loved it. The first Stadium Series game ended with the Ducks blanking the Kings, 3-0.
Sunday afternoon pitted the Rangers and Devils, two bitter rivals, at Yankee Stadium in the House that Ruth Built (or is it now the House that Jeter Built?) Either way, they played in Yankee Stadium, but the conditions were much different than in L.A. It was bitter cold and it snowed for a majority of the game. Aside from more than an hour sun-glare delay there were no other hiccups on an otherwise fantastic afternoon of hockey. Another 50,000 plus fans packed into another baseball stadium in the middle of the winter to watch two local hockey teams battle it out for a coveted two points in the standings. The Devils got out to the early lead, but the Rangers went on a tear in the second period and scored six unanswered goals to pick up the victory. The final score was 7-3.
Aside from some hemming and hawing about the unideal ice conditions at Yankee Stadium, the second Stadium Series game was just as successful as the one in L.A. People didn’t seem to care if it was humid or snowing, warm or freezing, Winter Classic or Stadium Series; the fans love outdoor hockey and the NHL gave it to them. The NHL had many fans immediately hooked to this idea, but it took a while for me to get on board. But after seeing the turnout and intensity of the games between the Ducks and Kings and Rangers and Devils, I can’t wait to see the Rangers take on the Islanders in Yankee Stadium tonight and wait in long anticipation for the Penguins to battle the Blackhawks in Chicago at Soldier Field in March. Well done, NHL. Well done.
