The NHL went ahead last night with its plans to stage one of its famous outdoor games in ice cold ... Los Angeles.
Some thought it was an overambitious expansion of the "Stadium Series" that staged outdoor games this season in traditional hockey (and, well, cold-weather) cities New York and Chicago (and built upon hockey's annual "Winter Classic" which has seen outdoor games played in Michigan, Boston and Philadelphia, among other sites).
Others thought, "Hey, why not?"
It appeared to be a hit in the City of Angels, at least, with a sold-out crowd of 54,099 at Dodger Stadium, usually home to baseball's LA Dodgers. The hockey-unrelated highlights included a performance by the band Kiss and the players entering the stadium under palm trees (because what goes together better than hockey and palm trees?).
In the game itself, the Anaheim Ducks beat the LA Kings 3-0. Here are some of the images it produced.
Photos courtesy Alex Gallardo, Chris Carlson, Jae C Hong, Mark J Terrill / AP and Harry How / Getty Images / AFP
