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The NHL taught us two things over the weekend – outdoor hockey games next to a lake are the best hockey games and you should probably take weather into account when scheduling an outdoor hockey game next to a lake.
But seriously, the two games that were played in Lake Tahoe on Saturday and Sunday were beyond awesome. They were stunning. They were jaw-dropping. They were so much fun.
And now there needs to be a lot more of them. I know we can’t play every hockey game next to a lake for various reasons but someone in the NHL should be doing the right thing and planning out many more of these things.
In case you missed it, Las Vegas and Colorado kicked things off on Saturday with an afternoon game next to the lake. The sun was shining, which isn’t good for ice and glare and eventually led to a 9-hour delay after the first period, which isn’t good, either. That sun delay led to a lot of jokes and rightfully so – the NHL should have thought more about the possibility of the sun shining down on their rink.
But that 9-hour delay did lead to some pretty incredible/haunting images from some night hockey by the lake.
Sunday’s Flyers-Bruins game was then pushed back to 7 p.m. ET start so things would be a lot easier on the rink and for the players.
The NHL has long been staging a few outdoor games each year. Usually those games have been played in football stadiums, which is cool for a bit but most football stadiums are simply way too big for a hockey game and way too boring for a hockey game.
The NHL should now look to find more beautiful spots in the great outdoors where these games can be played, preferably with lakes in the area. More people talked about hockey this weekend than they have all season and it’s because the images from these games next to a lake were so darn awesome.
I grew up in the Boston area and we’d play hockey games on things called cranberry bogs, which nobody outside of Boston knows about and I’m sure those people would love to see a hockey game played on those things.
They could hold numerous games actually on lakes in Minnesota.
And I have to think there are some incredible spots in Canada to have a ton of games.
We need more outdoor games in our lives and we need them in spots where you might not have ever thought would host a professional hockey game.
Let’s get weird, NHL. The time is now.
Quick hits: PGA Tour winner’s priceless reaction… J.J. Redick’s lame ejection … The Mahomes welcome baby daughter… And more.
– Max Homa’s emotional reaction after winning a PGA Tour event in his hometown was so great.
– J.J. Redick got ejected from Sunday’s game against the Celtics for such a lame reason.
– Patrick Mahomes and his fiancée Brittany Matthews announced the birth of their daughter, Sterling, on Instagram.
– NBA refs ruined Saturday night’s Heat-Warriors game.
– UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis had a really impressive/brutal knockout Saturday night.