Hockey originated outside, and most NHL players grow up playing outside…they should get the chance at the pro level more often.
With Hockey Day Minnesota officially come and gone, I was thinking about the outdoor game and how the NHL only offers four outdoor games per season. While it takes a lot of money and logistics to coordinate these events, it seems like there could be room to grow that area of the game, especially in a state like Minnesota.
Every team should have a chance to play outside at least once a season. That may seem like a lot since there are currently 32 teams in the league, but since two teams are needed to play a game, that number would be cut to 16 games. Realistically, that’s still a lot of time, effort, and money, but I think it’s worth exploring, at least adding one or two more games a season starting in Minnesota.
“State of Hockey Deserves a Game”
Minnesota is called the “State of Hockey” for a reason — with over 10,000 lakes that make perfect outdoor hockey rinks in the winter. They also have their hockey holiday called Hockey Day Minnesota, which is hosted at a different city throughout the state each year, and the host’s high school boys and girls ’ hockey teams get to play outside on television. It started being hosted on a Saturday in January but has since expanded to multiple days and more games, such as alumni games involving former college and NHL players. Besides the high school games, there’s also a college game, and the Wild finish the day indoors.
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