Kings Face Off against Ducks Outdoors at Dodger Stadium
Outdoor hockey in Southern California is not something that comes to mind when discussing your favorite sporting events.
Nevertheless, it will take place Saturday night at Dodger Stadium when the Anaheim Ducks take on the Los Angeles Kings in the first ever NHL warm-weather outdoor game. On Friday, both teams practiced on the ice outside to have an idea the playing conditions for Saturday night’s game.
Players love to play in outdoor games and this matchup gives players from the West Coast an opportunity to be in the spotlight as outdoor games in the NHL have exploded on the scene since the first one in 2008.
Most players in tonight’s game never thought about playing ice hockey in southern California and much less outdoors.
For some however, it is not all that surprising that ice hockey will be played outdoors on Saturday in LA. Due to the improvements made through science in making ice, the NHL is able to create rinks outdoors that are payable regardless of the conditions.
However, not until 2012, said John Collins the Chief Operating Officer for the NHL, was the league convinced an outdoor game would work in Los Angeles. That came after seeing how the market in Southern California embraced the Kings while they were on their Stanley Cup Championship run
The NHL had an idea to try to make the event beyond the wildest imagination of anyone. Collins said that when he witnessed the energy in Los Angeles during the Kings championship and the 2007 Cup in Anaheim, he knew Southern California deserved something special from the NHL.
However, the game is not just for the local crowd, the NHL wants to showcase the game as a national event promoting the league nationally. Marketing it locally is also important for the league, as they want the brand to become bigger and expose fans that might not be aware of how great the sport is.
Dustin Penner is the only player that has won the Stanley Cup with both the teams from Southern California. The current Anaheim forward said the opportunity to play outside at Dodger Stadium was one of many reasons he decided to sign with Anaheim after he realized the Kings would not be able to re-sign him due to salary cap restrictions.
Penner said going back to play in Anaheim to just be a part of the outdoor game, convinced him re-signing with Anaheim was important.
Anaheim is leading the Western Conference with a record of 38-10-5. Their 81 points put them five points ahead of second place Chicago and eight in front of St. Louis.
The Kings are in sixth place in the conference with a record of 29-17-6 for 64 points. The Kings have lost three straight however and need to regroup as they have fallen five points behind fifth place Colorado.
Over the last 10 games, the Kings are 4-4-2, while the Ducks are 8-2-0. Head to head this is the third game of five the teams will play and the second over the past three days. Los Angeles won the first game of the season between the two, but Anaheim won 2-1 this past Thursday.
