{"id":443667,"date":"2026-02-03T18:04:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/443667\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T18:04:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:04:27","slug":"was-the-bruins-lightning-stadium-series-the-best-nhl-outdoor-game-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/443667\/","title":{"rendered":"Was the Bruins-Lightning Stadium Series the best NHL outdoor game ever?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning to everyone except whoever decided the Tampa Bay Lightning are apparently just going to have four games in hand<\/a> over the Detroit Red Wings all season long.<\/p>\n

We had 10 games last night, to go with a surprise GM change (kind of). But many of us are still buzzing over what we saw on Sunday night, so let\u2019s start there \u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Mike Carlson \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Wanna Take This Outside?\ud83c\udf34 Best outdoor game ever?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a peek behind the curtain: When I was putting together this week\u2019s Weekend Rankings<\/a>, I had a line in there about Sunday\u2019s outdoor game between the Bruins and Lightning. The joke was that none of us outside Tampa had even realized the game was happening, because at this point there\u2019s so many of these outdoor games that the novelty has completely worn off. So, I took a little dig at the whole thing and how all of these games just bleed together these days. Trust me, it was a funny bit.<\/p>\n

Then the game happened. And I had to delete my little joke.<\/p>\n

Yeah, that game ruled. It was in Florida<\/a>, but it was 41.8 degrees at puck drop, but there were pirates, and also the Lightning coaches dressed up like bad guys from Miami Vice<\/a>. The atmosphere at Raymond James Stadium worked<\/a>. The crowd, including plenty of traveling Bruins fans, was lively. The visuals were cool. The uniforms looked great.<\/p>\n

And then the game itself started, and everything got even better.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve seen the highlights by now. Or at least, you\u2019ve seen the highlight:<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Yes, we had an outdoor goalie fight<\/a>, the first in the NHL\u2019s 45 total outdoor games. We also had a four-goal comeback, an OT controversy and Nikita Kucherov flexing all over the ice to remind us who won the last two scoring titles.<\/p>\n

And then it ended in a shootout, because nothing in life is allowed to be perfect.<\/p>\n

Still, even two days later, it\u2019s hard to get your head around just how cool that game was. And at the risk of turning into the NHL\u2019s hype man, I really think it\u2019s fair to ask: Was this the best outdoor game ever?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Christian Petersen \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf1e The candidates<\/p>\n

I feel like we\u2019ve realistically got a 10-spot of contenders here. In no particular order:<\/p>\n

Bruins vs. Lightning, 2026: It feels like only yesterday. But it was actually the day before yesterday.
\nRangers vs. Flyers, 2012: Maybe the most dramatic ending to an outdoor game, with Henrik Lundqvist stopping Danny Briere on a penalty shot with 20 seconds left in a one-goal game at Philadelphia\u2019s Citizens Bank Park.
\nCanadiens vs. Oilers, 2003: The original Heritage Classic was the first regular-season outdoor game in NHL history, played at Commonwealth Stadium<\/a>, which is used mostly for CFL games. Nobody was quite sure the concept could work, but once we saw Jose Theodore in his toque, we were sold. And the game itself was pretty good, a 4-3 Habs win.
\nSabres vs. Penguins, 2008: The original Winter Classic is often incorrectly called the first outdoor game ever, but it was probably the first most American sports fans had ever seen. And it delivered with beautiful visuals at Buffalo\u2019s Ralph Wilson Stadium, including a light snowfall as Sidney Crosby tucked home the shootout winner.
\nThe Lake Tahoe games, 2021 (pictured above): This is cheating a bit because the NHL pulled double duty, serving up a pair of games (Avs\/Knights and Flyers\/Bruins) on the same weekend. Also, the league was apparently caught off-guard by the fact that the sun sometimes comes out<\/a> during the day. Still, venue is everything for outdoor games, and you could argue this was the best one ever.
\nRed Wings vs. Blackhawks, 2009: This was only the second Winter Classic, and more importantly it was the first outdoor game to be held at a baseball stadium. The Wrigley Field game<\/a> looked fantastic, and the two teams combined for 10 goals in a fun one.
\nRangers vs. Kings, 1991: Yes, 1991. In the Caesars Palace parking lot in Las Vegas, to be exact. Was it as weird as it sounds? Trust me, it was so much weirder than that<\/a>. Was it too weird? Come on, there\u2019s no such thing.
\nA bunch of prisoners vs. Gordie Howe, 1954: OK, maybe a game can be too weird<\/a> after all.
\nDucks vs. Kings, 2014: I might be biased because I was there, but this game at Dodger Stadium was all sorts of fun. It was the first time the tradition-bound NHL steered hard in the other direction, with palm trees and beach volleyball. The game itself was just OK, but that\u2019s fine, because we got to see Gary Bettman getting assaulted by the guys from Kiss<\/a>.
\nRed Wings vs. Maple Leafs, 2014: This was the Winter Classic at the Big House, and it saw roughly 105,000 fans from both sides of the border pack the place for a classic Norris Division matchup.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddf3\ufe0f I think we can probably narrow our final list of options down to a half-dozen. Now it\u2019s your turn: Vote for your pick for the NHL\u2019s best outdoor game<\/a> on our survey page.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Ronald Martinez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Trivia Time<\/p>\n

As good as all those games were, you might note that we left out the one that provided arguably the most memorable outdoor moment ever: Corey Perry\u2019s walk of shame from the 2020 Winter Classic.<\/p>\n

That was the game that saw Perry ejected just a few minutes in, followed by him having to make the long walk from the rink to the dressing room at the Cotton Bowl, spawning a million memes in the process.<\/p>\n

But do you remember what Perry did to get ejected, and who he did it to?<\/p>\n

Answer below.<\/p>\n

Coast to Coast<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc94 Three junior hockey players<\/a> from the Southern Alberta Mustangs were killed in a motor vehicle crash while traveling to practice yesterday. \u201cThere are no words that can adequately express the depth of our grief,\u201d the team said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udee3 Scared of heights? Look away. Julian McKenzie details what it\u2019s like to make the harrowing walk<\/a> over the Saddledome\u2019s ceiling-high catwalk in Calgary.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd47 Ready for the Olympics? On the men\u2019s side, Dom Luszczyszyn has a look at the history of five of the sport\u2019s superpowers<\/a>, and how those storylines will come together in the next few weeks. Our staff also made plenty of bold predictions<\/a>. And keep an eye on our Olympics page<\/a> \u2014 we\u2019ll be previewing the women\u2019s side soon, as that tournament begins in just a couple of days.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udea8 Aaron Portzline goes deep on the history of the Blue Jackets cannon<\/a>, which is evil and should be banned beloved in Columbus.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc31 Jesse Granger spoke to Andrei Vasilevskiy, and it turns out the whole \u201cBig Cat\u201d thing is not just a nickname<\/a>. And speaking of goalies, Julian McKenzie has the inside story on Linus Ullmark\u2019s return<\/a> to the lineup.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd25 Other Sean might just get you off the couch with his list of the NHL\u2019s best in-arena traditions. Yeet the fish<\/a>, indeed.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f On the Monday episode of \u201cThe Athletic Hockey Show,\u201d Max Bultman and Mark Lazerus decide whether teams such as the Panthers, Leafs, Jets and Caps are cooked or not. Listen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Barry<\/p>\n

\n (Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

You Can\u2019t Fire Me, I QuitWhat just happened? \ud83e\udd20<\/p>\n

Yesterday was a weird one in Nashville.<\/p>\n

We had breaking news in the morning, with the insiders reporting Barry Trotz was stepping down as the Predators\u2019 GM. That was a stunner \u2014 while the 63-year-old Trotz hadn\u2019t exactly been racking up Jim Gregory votes based on his front-office work so far, he was such a local legend based on his 15 years as head coach that you figured he\u2019d hold the job as long as he wanted. Mix in that GMs don\u2019t typically walk away from their jobs in the middle of the season, and it felt like something was up.<\/p>\n

That led to some immediate speculation that Trotz could be battling health problems, which thankfully were shot down. The next thought was that he could be eyeing a return to coaching, but apparently that wasn\u2019t it, either.<\/p>\n

Instead, we eventually got some clarity: Trotz is retiring, but not quite yet<\/a>. He\u2019ll keep the GM\u2019s job until the Predators can find a replacement, and it doesn\u2019t sound like they\u2019re necessarily in much of a hurry to do that, with owner Bill Haslam indicating that a new hire might wait until the offseason.<\/p>\n

All of this raises two obvious questions. The first: What does this do to the prediction contest<\/a>, and the question about teams switching GMs? Nothing yet, because Trotz still has the job. But if he does leave before July 1, it will cost only 44 of you. I thought that would be higher. You all might be smarter than you look.<\/p>\n

And the slightly bigger question: Who\u2019ll ultimately get the job? It can be tough to hire a GM in the middle of a season because teams typically wouldn\u2019t have access to any options from other organizations. Promoting from within is an option; it\u2019s what the Sabres did with Jarmo Kek\u00e4l\u00e4inen in December, and that\u2019s worked out OK<\/a>. But if the Predators were going to go that route, why not just announce the succession plan today?<\/p>\n

It sure looks like the Predators may have their eye on somebody who\u2019s currently busy with a job somewhere else. And because we can all agree that it would be irresponsible to speculate beyond that, let\u2019s change the subject. Hey, anyone remember who the very first captain<\/a> in Predators history was?<\/p>\n

What to Watch<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Senators @ Hurricanes
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ \/ TSN5 \/ RDS<\/p>\n

The Senators looked like they were cooked just a few weeks ago, but they\u2019ve been giant-slayers lately, with impressive wins over the Golden Knights, Avalanche and Penguins. They get another shot at a contender tonight.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Sabres @ Lightning
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ \/ Hulu<\/p>\n

The two hottest teams in the Atlantic square off in what could be a first-round playoff preview. This is the first of four matchups between the two teams in the second half of the season, which should offer plenty of opportunity to get sick of each other before the postseason rolls around.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Maple Leafs @ Oilers
8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ \/ Sportsnet \/ TVA<\/p>\n

An Auston Matthews versus Connor McDavid matchup right before the Olympics probably looked better on paper last summer than it does right now, with the Oilers spinning their wheels and the Leafs skidding into a ditch. Still, these Leafs-Oilers matchups are almost always fun, and the Edmonton crowd should be hot.<\/p>\n

Full NHL schedule here<\/a>. Try streaming games like these for free on Fubo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Ronald Martinez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Trivia Answer<\/p>\n

Perry was ejected just 2:44 into the game for an elbow to the head of Nashville\u2019s Ryan Ellis.<\/p>\n

The play was reviewed to confirm the ejection, and rightly so. It was a nasty hit, one that resulted in Ellis taking a walk of his own \u2014 to a medical cart that took him back to the room for further evaluation.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Good morning to everyone except whoever decided the Tampa Bay Lightning are apparently just going to have four…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5119],"tags":[95,5,2409,231,5281,4,2410,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-443667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nashville-predators","8":"tag-boston-bruins","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nashville","11":"tag-nashville-predators","12":"tag-nashvillepredators","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-predators","15":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116008024881240755","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}