It’s a good thing when the ice melts in your yards.
It’s not a good thing when the ice melts on a hockey rink.
The NHL outdoor games have been a picturesque success since they were introduced in 2008, but Saturday’s trench in Stateline, Nev., Near Lake Tahoe has become a disaster due to dangerous ice conditions.
The game was delayed in the second period, because the players from the Golden Knights of Las Vegas and Colorado Avalanche, as well as the officials could not keep their footing even when they skated slowly during the breaks. A video even showed a hockey stick digging up ice like road mud. The league announced that the game will be resumed at midnight, Avalanche leading 1-0 in the second period.
“You can’t succeed if you don’t risk failure,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told NBC Sports.
The picturesque sun-kissed background for the game was mind-boggling. The rink was laid out on the 18th fairway of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort golf course, close to the tree-lined coast, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. An old-fashioned dashboard hung on a brick wall.
But the sun and the 36-degree temperature violated safety. The resort is expected to host a double weekend, including the Bruins-Flyers on Sunday.
What became a tradition of NHL outdoor games began in 2003 and became an annual practice in 2008. Several games were canceled or postponed for several reasons.