The NHL Stadium Series is a set of regular season outdoor games played in the National Hockey League (NHL). This event differs from the NHL Winter Classic, which is played in a different NHL city each year, and the NHL Heritage Classic, which is occasionally played at various Canadian stadiums.
Games in the Stadium Series are usually played in February or early March. They typically occur in either NFL or college football stadiums in the United States when both leagues are in their offseason. In the past, MLB ballparks in the United States were also used, though it has been mainly utilized for the Winter Classic.
The first Stadium Series was held in 2014 and consisted of seven teams participating in four games held in three venues; this was also the only Stadium Series to have taken place in January.
The uniforms worn in the Stadium Series are unique in that they feature enlarged logos, letters and numbers in order to increase visibility for spectators who sit in the upper deck seats (as the Stadium Series is typically played in NFL or college football stadiums).
Whereas the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic focused on vintage hockey uniform designs intended on celebrating ice hockey history, the Stadium Series focused on more futuristic and experimental looks showcasing the modernization of the sport.
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While a majority of the participating teams were able to create radically new looks for the event, the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 Stadium Series refused to do so, instead wearing their throwback red and green uniforms during the game. This was due to general manager Lou Lamoriello's refusal to adopt the third jersey trend at the time.
To date, only two teams have promoted its Stadium Series uniform to full third jersey status: the New York Islanders' blue-and-chrome "NY" uniform from the 2014 Stadium Series (used only in the 2014-15 season), and the Philadelphia Flyers' black uniform from the 2017 Stadium Series (used since the 2018-19 season).
In 2014, the NHL inaugurated a new outdoor series, call the “NHL Stadium Series.” With the success of the NHL Winter Classic, the league decided to play an annual series of games in a football or baseball stadium. Appropriately, for the first one, the New York Rangers were picked to play at Yankee Stadium along with games at Dodger Stadium and Soldier Field.
On January 26, 2014, the Blueshirts played the first of two games at Yankee Stadium before 50,105 fans. They went home happy as the Rangers beat the Devils 7-3.
The other Stadium Series games featured the Kings versus the Ducks and the Blackhawks and the Penguins.
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In this game, the Devils jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period on two goals by Patrik Elias. Marc Staal scored to close out the first period 3-2 and the Rangers poured on five straight goals over the last two periods, chasing goalie Martin Brodeur.
The final Ranger goal was a penalty shot awarded to Derek Stepan when Travis Zajac was called for holding him on a breakaway. The call was iffy and on replay it looked like Stepan was doing as much holding as Zajac. The call was the call and Stepan beat replacement goalie Cory Schneider.
This was the first outdoor game ever played in New York City and the start time was delayed over an hour because of sun glare on the ice.
NHL Stadium Series game at Yankee Stadium
Scott Stevens and the Devils at Yankee Stadium
Earlier this summer, I sat down with Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Stevens at Blenheim restaurant in New York City for lunch and to interview the former New Jersey Devils defenseman for an Art of Sport Q&A feature in the July Issue of Yankees Magazine.
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Stevens, who hoisted the Stanley Cup three times in New Jersey, spoke candidly about those triumphs and about his what he learned from the emotionally-draining loss to the New York Rangers in 1994.
“It was tough to lose that series, but I think it was a stepping-stone to the three championships we won,” he said. “We were young, and there were things that we had to learn. Sometimes, you have to lose before you can win. We knew what it would take to win a championship after that.”
A year later, Stevens and the Devils took on the heavily-favored Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.
“There’s always extra motivation when you’re the underdog,” Stevens said. “That wasn’t a bad thing for us. We cared what people were saying, and we wanted to show the world that we could beat Detroit. We felt like we could defeat any team during the playoffs that season, so we really didn’t lack confidence going into that series. We swept the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals because we came out with more intensity than they did right from the beginning.”
Stevens shared what I consider to be the best anecdote of the conversation when I asked him what he and his teammates did the night they won their first Stanley Cup.
“A few of us took the cup to the Verona Inn in Verona, New Jersey,” he said. “We wanted to know if you could actually drink beer out of it.”
The Devils won their third Stanley Cup in 2003. A few days after securing that championship, several members of the team, including Stevens, brought the Cup to the old Yankee Stadium. After visiting with George Steinbrenner and Yogi Berra prior to the game, the players made their way to the pitcher’s mound - with the Cup. Stevens, the long-time Devils captain, tossed a ceremonial first pitch.
“It was a great night,” Stevens said. “We got to spend some time with George Steinbrenner, and you could tell how competitive he was just from talking with him for a few minutes. He loved to win, and he was proud of us. Yogi was there, and that was great. He loved hockey, and he especially loved the Devils. He had a close friendship with [late Devils owner] John McMullen, and they used to hang out together at our practices at South Mountain Arena in West Orange, New Jersey, so a bunch of us knew him already. Going out to the mound with the Stanley Cup was amazing. I’m sure there were a lot of Rangers fans in the crowd, but everyone respected what we had accomplished and we got a nice ovation.”
Stevens, who recently accepted an assistant coaching position with the Minnesota Wild, was on the Devils coaching staff when the team took on the Rangers at the current Yankee Stadium in 2014.
“The atmosphere was great,” Stevens said. “That was how I grew up playing hockey, and I wish I could have actually played in an NHL game outside. Just like being a runner, when you get that cooler weather, you feel like you can run all day long.
Here is a summary of the Stadium Series games held at Yankee Stadium:
| Date | Teams | Score | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 26, 2014 | New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers | 3-7 | 50,105 |
The Yankee Stadium Hockey Jersey Night and the NHL Stadium Series games played there represent a unique intersection of hockey and baseball, offering fans an unforgettable experience.