2018 World Juniors Report (Day 4)
Outdoor games in hockey have become a bit of a talking point in recent years thanks to the NHL’s commitment to putting on regular outdoor games.
In 2003 the NHL held their first ever Heritage Classic in Edmonton between the Canadiens and the Oilers.
It was a way for the league to celebrate the heritage of the game with so many players growing up playing on ponds outside and the game officially starting on outdoor rinks.
That was the goal for the NHL, as they looked to create a special event that nobody had done in a very long time.
The 2003 Heritage Classic was a big success for the league and then the bottom line began to show for the league.
They realized that these outdoor games could be a big thing for the NHL and that they could begin holding these games as major events throughout the year.
In 2008 they put together the first Winter Classic in Buffalo and continued that one-game tradition on New Year’s Day for the next three years.
In 2011 it changed again as the league decided to hold both a Winter Classic and a Heritage Classic.
In 2014 another change occurred when the league increased the number of outdoor games beginning the Stadium Series.
Now the league had multiple games outside as they continued to try to make them special events but the novelty began to wear off.
Although the league has decreased the number of games in recent years it still hosts multiple outdoor games in a season.
They don’t seem to be going anywhere and the talk is mixed on the value of these games.
For many of the purists, the outdoor games provide the worst type of hockey as the players are stuck in the elements dealing with snow and cold weather.
It doesn’t produce the best games because the ice will never be up to the standard that players are used to and if the weather is bad the game rapidly reduces in quality.
On the other side, these games are a unique experience for the fans and for the players to get back to the roots of hockey.
In a business sense, the league is taking hold of their own day and creating a single-day event that can help them generate money and interest.
NHL fans have been able to live with the fact that in a season with 82 games, teams that have to play one of them in less than ideal conditions.
It’s not the end of the world to sacrifice one game in a long season and leave it purely up to chance rather than skill.
Things are a little different in the World Juniors as there are no throwaway games because the tournament is so short.
So when the IIHF announced that they would be heading outdoors the debate was a big one.
Many fans were concerned that putting a game outside would reduce what makes the World Juniors so much fun to watch, the skill and speed of young players.
Putting a game outside in the elements was sure to reduce the excitement while also providing two teams with a game where they might not be able to use all of their skills.
It was going to be a game in the round robin where two teams were going to have the ballet the elements in order to take an important win.
The game was scheduled for Day 4 of the tournament and was between two of the biggest rivals in the game, Canada and USA.
All of the concerns of the game played out right before everyone’s eyes on Day 4 as the weather in Buffalo didn’t cooperate.
It snowed throughout the most of the game leaving the ice covered and the players having to skate and stick handle through the snow.
The weather made the game slow and the skill plays that always made this game in particular so great were essentially gone.
There was no chance to really prove who was better as it turned into a game where two teams just had to find out who could deal with the elements better.
That turned out to be the USA who went down early in the game only to come back in the third period to tie it and then took the game in a shootout.
It wasn’t exactly how they wanted to win as their shootout win only gave them two points and kept Canada in first place but they got their fourth straight win over their rivals.
For the fans in the stands it was a unique and fun experience but for those watching it wasn’t even close to the level, they have come to expect.
It broke records for attendance and people were talking about it which leads some to believe that it might not be the last time the IIHF moves a game outside.
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