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Before the Zamboni and boards circling rinks, the only surface anyone played hockey on was that of ponds and rivers. Growing up, I would play pond hockey religiously on my friend’s outdoor rink. If I wasn’t playing hockey there, I would be down the street on my friend’s cranberry bogs, which were frozen over during the winter. Cranberry bogs and manmade rinks can never live up to the hype of playing on an actual pond.
When temperatures dip below freezing, every hockey player in my town would be out playing pond hockey. On weekends when teams didn’t have practice, skaters could be found out on the pond.
If coaches even began speculating that their team had been playing pond hockey, they would be irate. If a team’s performance began looking sloppy, coaches would constantly be heard saying, “It looks like you guys are playing on a pond out there.” Not only is pond hockey disorganized, but it also makes blades on skates go from good to bad very quickly.
On Jan. 1, 2008 the worldwide watchers of hockey saw the first-ever professional hockey game played outside. The NHL turned the Buffalo Bills stadium into an outdoor rink. The game was between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins, showcasing the face of hockey, Sidney Crosby.
Not only was it the first game outdoors for the NHL, attendance for the game reached record levels, as more than 70,000 fans came to watch. This game was one of the best things to happen to the NHL since I can remember.
The Penguin’s young phenomenon Crosby didn’t let fans down as he put on a show. He hit the puck up with his stick past the defense in one play that left me astonished.
Then the skies opened up for the most epic scenario – it started to snow during the third period. This is what hockey was always about before there were arenas to hold the rinks. The game ended in the most classic fashion: it went into a shootout. Guess who got the game winner? It was none other than superstar Sidney Crosby.
After the first outdoor NHL game, speculation about other outdoor hockey games had begun to surface on sports shows the following morning. Talk of a possible game at Fenway Park caught my attention. If this were to ever happen, it would be one of the greatest sporting events in the city of Boston. Obviously, the Boston Bruins would be the hosting team and hopefully their opponent would be their arch-rivals, the Montreal Canadians. The rink at Fenway would result with the ice starting at home plate and continuing diagonally from home plate to the deepest part in the outfield. If this game does occur, I would without hesitation go to all means to find a way to be in the stands.
The University of Maine has also seen a rise in popularity of skating on outdoor rinks. Just a couple of weeks ago, Campus Recreation was generous enough to create their annual outdoor rink directly behind Kennebec Hall on Lengyl field. Since its completion, students have been constantly skating on it.
Not only is there one right on campus, but there is also an outdoor rink with full boards right behind the Orono High School – which gets much more skating action.
As soon as I found out about their rink, I went to go check it out and was blown away. I arrived behind the Orono schools to see it. There were people of all ages playing hockey on it. The ice was smoother than any other I had skated on before. With two rinks in close vicinity of campus, I want to formulate a team that plays outdoor hockey every Sunday – just like the movie, “Mystery Alaska.”
Bangor Daily News