I have lived in MN most of my life…yet I had NEVER seen an outdoor hockey game until today! And what a great MN day it was! The weather…PERFECT!! 32 degrees…yes, that is PERFECT!! We were warm, we were happy, and by golly, any warmer and our ice would have melted!! As it was, towards the end of the game, parts of the ice were “soft” and the boys couldn’t skate on it without falling.
It was great to be so close to the ice. I think that was really my favorite part of being outside. We were right there, I could reach out and touch them if I had wanted. When they play inside, sure you can stand at the glass, but that is it…you are at the glass. Outside there was nothing but a weak board between you and the puck. Scary sometimes, yes. But, fun was had by all! (Us winning may have had something to do with the fun as well, but really it was fun.)
Playing outside isn’t something we do much anymore. We (at least in suburban MN) all have indoor rinks now. You will find kids playing outside with a couple friends in backyards and at ponds, but you don’t see real, actual game anymore. For a lot of these kids, this was the first outdoor game they had ever played. I know for me it was the first I had ever seen.
Hopefully as our park is developed we can get some boards up on an ice rink and the boys can do it again next year. Maybe we can start having practices there as well. Seems like a good plan to me. Not only does it save money on ice time, it adds to the “feeling” of hockey.