Remember seeing the inaugural NHL Winter Classic back in 2008? Eighth-grade me thought it was a genius concept. It still is.
I watched every tidbit of coverage I could find, and not just because my team was in the game. The outdoor conditions, the massive crowd, the tradition of pond hockey carried out on such a huge platform ... it was all so alluring. In the eight Winter Classics to date games focused on rivalries, which only added to the dynamic.
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It's the opposite of the NHL Stadium Series.