Puck, yeah: How outdoor NHL games bring hockey players back to their roots

02:27

Hockey in the elements

Every season, the NHL puts on a series of outdoor games. Football and baseball fields are converted into ice rinks, and regular-season games are played in the elements.

It’s something so novel and yet it’s a tale as old as time: the outdoor hockey game.

For almost 20 years, the NHL has hosted a selection of games that bring their players and fans under the sun and evening stars.

Major stadiums in the United States and Canada are transformed from football and baseball fields to ice rinks for a few hockey games.

While taking the games out of indoor rinks may seem relatively new, it’s a fun return to form for many players hitting the ice.

Back to biscuits

During the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium on January 26, 2014 in New York City.

(Dave Sandford / NHLI / Getty Images)

"What's really interesting about the NHL players, most of them growing up and as little kids learn how to play hockey outdoors on ponds in these kind of environments," said Steve Mayer, the chief content officer in charge of events and content at the NHL.  

"So we're really taking them back to their roots, playing outdoors."

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The NHL began hosting outdoor games in 2003 and then revived the games about 12 years ago.

According to Mayer, the NHL typically plays three outdoor games per season: the Winter Classic, the Stadium Series and the Heritage Classic.

The Winter Classic takes place in the beginning of January.

"It's playing in the middle of winter with the snow falling down," said Mayer. "So, the field is usually covered with snow, and it takes on this classic, really unique feel."

Snow covers Target Field in Minneapolis, where the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild played during the NHL Winter Classic game on January 01, 2022.

(Harrison Barden / Getty Images)

Then in February, the NHL hosts the Stadium Series.

"That game is a little more progressive — it goes to a little more futuristic stadium," said Mayer. "That game typically also is a nighttime game, so you can take advantage of fireworks and pyro."

"All of our fans and just fans in general, just, they love that," he added.

Fireworks are set off following the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series Game between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders at NYC's Yankee Stadium on January 29, 2014.

(Scott Levy / NHLI / Getty Images)

Come November or around March, the Heritage Classic brings the sport home.

"The Heritage Classic is a true celebration of hockey in Canada," said Mayer. "It's as big as it gets in Canada — it's like nothing you've ever seen."

Canadian and American flags decorate the field during a flyover. This was the 2011 NHL Heritage Classic Game at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

(Dylan Lynch / Getty Images)

As dozens of games are played indoors during the regular season, these three outdoor games stand out.

"Aside from playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs and certainly in the Stanley Cup final, this is a career highlight for most of our NHL players to be able to participate in one of these outdoor games," said Mayer.

"It's quite an experience."

The mighty mets

Fireworks during the Stadium Series game between the Pittsburg Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers on February 23, 2019 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. The stadium is home to the Philadelphia Eagles football team.

(Andy Lewis / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

The games are played in the same stadiums where touchdowns and home runs are made.

"We build a rink essentially in the middle of a football field and then we surround that rink with a field designed so that when you're done and when you come to one of our outdoor games, you don't even see a blade of grass," said Mayer.

For example, the 2022 Stadium Series will be played in Nashville, in a football stadium that seats 70,000 fans.

"It is a pretty awesome sight to see," said Mayer.

Playing in football and baseball stadiums does come with considerations not faced by indoor hockey games — particularly, the weather.    

Andrew Ference #21 of the Boston Bruins shovels snow off of the ice during practice prior to Bridgestone's presentation of 2010 NHL Winter Classic at Boston's Fenway Park on December 31, 2009.

(Dave Sandford / NHLI / Getty Images)

"We have some of the best meteorologists in the area and then globally, we have a few that actually work on all of our events, and they constantly are giving us great advice," said Mayer.

"We constantly look at the weather as one of the factors that goes into putting one of these games on."

According to Mayer, weather experts provide the NHL with hourly updates on weather conditions and how playable the ice will be, especially as game time approaches.

"Rain is probably our worst enemy — a driving rain on ice, and especially if the temperature is slightly warm," said Mayer. "Warm water on ice, never the best mix."

Rainwater collects on the ice at the feet of Pittsburgh Penguins' goalie Marc-Andre Fleury #29 during the 2011 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field. 

(Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

While a drizzle isn’t enough to stop the games, driving rain will lead to the players being taken off of the ice.

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Another factor that can put a wrinkle in things is lightning. As is the case in football and baseball, if lightning is detected, the game will be cleared to protect players and fans.

"Our job is to make sure that they have an incredible time, and they leave and come in the most safe manner," Mayer said.

The sun is another consideration. In addition to it warming up the ice, it can be a major variable for hockey players’ safety.

The sun shines over ice crew workers during the 2014 NHL Stadium Series rink build out on February 27, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois.

(Brian Babineau / NHLI / Getty Images)

"The sun in their eyes, it can be dangerous if, for any reason, they're shielded from a fast-moving puck," said Mayer.

The sun, lightning and heavy rain aside, some weather elements haven’t been enough to affect the gameplay.

One example is the temperature.

The coldest NHL game was the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2022, in Minneapolis. The temperature dropped to negative 6 degrees. The warmest game was the Stadium Series on Feb. 27, 2016, in Denver. The temperature rose to 65 degrees.

According to Mayer, not even a hurricane could stop a game.

"We had a hurricane a day before a game in Annapolis, Maryland, and we were able to recover from that and play the game on schedule," he said.

One weather element can actually add to the aesthetic of the games, according to Mayer.

"Snow is actually OK for us," he said. "A little snow, it adds to the environment. It adds to the beauty of what we're putting together, and it's not necessarily a huge factor in terms of gameplay."

According to Mayer, there aren’t many weather elements his team hasn’t encountered, so they know what they need to do to make sure the games begin on time without a hitch.

We will rock you

Fans cheer during the NHL Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Ralph Wilson Stadium on January 1, 2008 in Orchard Park, New York.

(Dave Sandford / Getty Images)

"For me and our entire team here at the NHL, this is a labor of love," said Mayer. "We love putting these games out for our fans."

The games’ outdoor venues also make way for music and entertainment to highlight local cultures, along with pyro and fireworks that would be impossible to produce for indoor hockey games.

A fan gazes up as fireworks go off after the St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild during the 2022 NHL Winter Classic at Minneapolis's Target Field.

(Harrison Barden / Getty Images)

According to Mayer, the outdoor games are truly a show.

"Every single game has had those moments that we take with us for the rest of our life," he said.

"That's what it's all about is creating those moments, is creating those memories not only for us, but for our fans — and as you can tell, we get really excited about that."