It is a good thing when the ice melts in your yard.
It is not a good thing when the ice melts on a hockey rink.
NHL outdoor games have been a picturesque success since they were introduced in 2008, but Saturday’s edition in Stateline, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, has become a disaster because of dangerous ice conditions.
The game was delayed in the second period because the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche players, as well as the officials, were unable to maintain balance even when skating slowly during timeouts. A video even showed a hockey stick digging ice like mud on the road. The league announced that the game will restart at midnight with the Avalanche winning 1-0 in the second period.
“You can’t succeed if you don’t risk failure,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told NBC Sports.
The sunny scenic setting for the game was jaw-dropping. The course was set up on the 18th fairway of the golf course at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, pressed against the tree-lined coast with snow-capped mountains in the distant background. An old-fashioned scoreboard hung on a brick wall.
But the sun and the temperature of 36 degrees jeopardized security. The resort is expected to host a weekend doubleheader, including Bruins-Flyers on Sunday.
What became an NHL tradition of playing select games outdoors began in 2003 and became an annual practice in 2008. Several games were canceled or postponed for a variety of reasons.