With more and more outdoor games scheduled each year, it's pretty obvious that the league sees a marketing opportunity in the Winter Classic, but it's still a fun opportunity to bring something new to our season-long routine. As much as I'd love for us to host an outdoor game, San Francisco isn't exactly suited for maintaining quality ice outdoors, even on our coldest days. I can't think of a better matchup for the game than the Pride and Panthers though, two teams who've dominated the Pacific division for most of the modern era, and the outdoor rink at Lake Tahoe is close enough for both teams to feel a "home" presence while getting a unique experience that feels closer to the pond hockey games of childhood than a mass-marketed ticket sale generator. The Pride will hopefully put another win on our record as we continue to pretend regression isn't real, and try to take home one more cup win before settling in for the start of the next generation.