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*Zerg* · 01-01-2025, 05:08 PM

Grezgorz grew up in small town Poland where the fanciest amenity was a shitty communist swimming pool. The football pitch certainly didn't have the equipment to support an outdoor hockey game. No one really played hockey outside either. He just travelled to Krakow to play with the team-and-a-half that could be assembled from the region's youth and travelled with them to Warsaw to play one of Poland's six other youth hockey teams. The thought of playing outdoors like a football star never even occurred to him.

If he gets the chance to play in an outdoor game with the SHL, he's going to be over the moon about it. Bigger crowds, brighter lights, the atmosphere of a football championship, all for a sport he much prefers, a team he loves, and fans cheering his saves. What more could he ask for, really? That would make his whole life, and would be a highlight of his hockey career memories until the day he dies.

(170 words)

Dextaria · 01-01-2025, 05:48 PM

Written Option 2:

Ville Sato-Maki having grown up in Canada after moving from Finland has always been interested in the winter sport of curling. The precision and strategy required out of the athletes, in particular the strategy of working with his partner to figure out whether to put a block or to go for the center always leads to a very interesting game. However, since Sato-Maki is putting his efforts into his hockey career, there is little time for Ville to put into a professional curling career and as a result curling, if he ever starts to get into the sport, will be purely for recreation and his own personal enjoyment. And so, if you're in the local Winnipeg curling rink and see Ville Sato-Maki then do be sure to say hi and stop by for a photo and autograph! Ville Sato-Maki can also be found in the local Vancouver curling rinks during the summer off-seasons! Although he might not be the best, he'll still put his competitive spirit in it!

LGRW613 · 01-01-2025, 06:31 PM

Outdoor ice hockey is big in Norway and the other Scandinavian countries, so Hans would have grown up playing on outdoor ice for his whole childhood. The stadium would just make the feeling he had as a kid real, as every kid who plays pond hockey is already imagining being surrounded by screaming fans and playing in the pros. As far as it being a pointless gimmick, he'd probably agree that it is very gimmicky, but it is a gimmick that adds some extra fun to a regular season game that may not normally be so important. Gimmicks have their place amongst sports, and things like the Winter Classic add a good aura to a game, making it all the more exciting for the fans. For an opponent, it would definitely have to be us in Vancouver versus Quebec City, taking a big win off one of the best teams in the league is always a good time, and doing it in a Winter Classic atmosphere would make it so much sweeter.

*leviadan* · 01-01-2025, 07:50 PM

Pinli grew up in Finland so he had ample opportunity to get games in outdoors. It's one of those things that you do a lot of as a kid but as hockey looks like more and more of a viable career path for you, you tend to do it less and less. Pro training sessions don't happen outside, scouts don't show up to Finnish lake pick up games, and your SMJHL team plays in a big stadium somewhere. So I think it would be special to Pinli, to some degree, to play a real game outside again. I think there would be a big nostalgia factor, to reconnect with something that used to be such a big part of his hockey journey. Sure it's cold and uncomfortable and kinda miserable if the weather sucks, but that's the way it was back then too! It's playing hockey the way Pinli remembers it at 7 years old, rather than the way he's been playing for the last decade. In that way I think Pinli gets a lot out of it, even if he misses his heated dressing stall a bit.

TipToasty · 01-01-2025, 09:49 PM

Option 1:

Because of where his parents lived, Tip Toasty did not grow up playing outdoor hockey. He has skated a few outdoor rinks, but never played an organized game in the great outdoors. He is looking forward to the experience as it will be new and a huge part of the history of the sport he loves, but feels the spectacle of this one game is out of place in the regular season. The fact that standings are impacted by an exhibition feels somewhat wrong - not enough to protest, but wrong nonetheless. He’s thought of alternate ways to use the format: in the all star weekend, part of an alumni game, in the preseason, but ultimately it all comes down to the ability to earn a profit, so until ticket sales slow and media buzz dies down, the game will go on and Toasty will play his hardest to win on a slightly bigger stage.

*Otrebor13* · 01-01-2025, 09:58 PM

Playing outdoor hockey is always a great time. Growing up in Canada, being able to play hockey outdoors is one of those great things to do as a kid (maybe kids just don’t feel as cold, but it’s definitely much more enjoyable when young). I think when you’re young and playing outdoor it’s always a dream to be able to look around and see people watching while getting the cool atmosphere of an outdoor rink. There’s something so magical about playing outside that really makes it feel like nothing else matters.

I think playing in these big outdoor stadiums will be surreal, as you’ll look around and see tens of thousands of people all around while you’re at the center of this field playing hockey. I do enjoy the outdoor games, but having too many of them also kind of ruins the appeal. I know it’s a great marketing tool, but it also kind of takes players out of their typical rhythm when not playing in a traditional atmosphere. I’ll be sure to soak it all in, enjoy the game and the opportunity, but as long as this is a once in a while type of thing, I’m ok with it.

MattyIce · 01-01-2025, 10:29 PM

Preparing for an outdoor event like the Winter Classic is like preparing for any other game. No matter what the setting, the goal is to win the hockey game. In the Maritime provinces outdoor hockey isn't a niche activity, it's part of the culture. Playing on outdoor rinks is like a rite of passage. Playing solo, just stickhandling around and waving around the ice is just a natural thing to do, as well as taking some wristers, snap shots and slap shots on empty nets, targeting the corners and sometimes even the posts for an additional challenge. When there's enough people, a pick-up game could randomly start so playing with random people trains the way you can read plays since there's next to no chemistry. Playing outdoors in a grand event isn't the same thing at all, there's a lot more on the line, so yeah there's no gimmicks, even if it looks like a cash grab.

196 words

Bubba Tree · 01-02-2025, 12:19 AM

ISFL Affilate

***Leafs4ever*** · 01-02-2025, 12:57 AM

Option 1:

In the off-season, the SHL informed our team that we were selected to play in this season's Winter Classic. That announcement sent shockwaves through the locker room and everyone was fired up to be included in the game. There are people who call it too much of a gimmick, but it's such a great event for the fans that I don't see any downside.

Growing up, of course I played on outdoor rinks. You and your buddies would find an ice sheet somewhere and set up a makeshift ice rink and just skate in the cool, crisp wintery air. It was just a special feeling being outside in the snowy winter environment and gliding on the ice. You always wish you could recreate those small moments, and now we're able to, but on a grander scale.

I'm so fired up for this game. The atmosphere is going to be so special and unique and the festivities around the event are going to be so awesome, for players and fans. I'm going to have family come in as well and really enjoy the time with me. I can't wait for the SHL Winter Classic.

(193 words)

Guy Incognito - D - #24
Tampa Bay Barracuda
Season 81
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Regular Season - [G 0] [A 0] [Pts 0] [+/- 0] [PIM 0] [Hits 0] [SB 0]

Gaia Mormont · 01-02-2025, 04:20 AM

Written Option One:

The mention of the outdoor classic instantly triggered a memory for me as a kid. There was an outdoor rink in the neighborhood where I grew up and it was the ultimate hangout place on a wintery day. It seemed like nearly all the houses on the block had at least one kid who played hockey so the rink was always crammed with games of shinny or just kids out playing around.

The rink was just beside the best sledding hill so I was out enjoying my new toboggan and some kid came running from the rink and said your brother got hit in the face and he's bleeding everywhere. So I ran to the rink and sure enough he was bleeding from the face. I can't remember if he got hit with a stick or a puck but it was nasty. We didn't want to run home cause our mom would be pissed that he was playing without his helmet (which to be honest... none of the cool kids wore cause cool reasons). So I ran to the strip mall across the street and into the dairy queen where I raided all the napkin holders and ran out of the store with the employee yelling at me and chasing me for stealing. Seriously, c'mon... a kid was bleeding.

Took the napkins to my bro and he cleaned up and then kept playing. I went back to sledding. It was awesome. I'm pretty sure our parents never knew about that incident.

Such a strange memory trigger. Good times.

lilstifler · 01-02-2025, 06:10 AM

written #1

Winter Classic. It is a huge event in players' careers, because a large part of the players have started their sports careers right on the field, when they first put on skates to play hockey. It is a huge emotion and it is essentially a huge hockey stage, because the games are mega-attended, with a lot of fans attending them. I personally would like to participate in such a game, because it would be nostalgic for me to play it under the open sky. The number of arenas in Latvia is not that large, so as a young player I had to train often outside in the winter to be able to improve my game. The air, the quality of the ice, all of it is much different than playing in an arena, where everything is mostly of very high quality, whereas in outdoor conditions there is a possibility that something might not be of such high quality and you have to learn to live with it. It is a fantastic experience to show young people that you can do all this outdoors.

***ThisSeemsFishy*** · 01-02-2025, 06:44 AM

Option 1:

As Jussi is of Japanese and Finnish heritage, he had the occasional opportunity to play ice hockey outdoors during visits to Finland. But it wasn’t too often. As hockey isn’t as popular in Japan, there weren’t many chances to play outdoors. Jussi can’t speak for everyone, but in his moments playing on frozen lakes in Finland, Jussi would dream of playing in the SHL. He’d run scenarios by himself, pretending to be on a breakaway in the dying seconds of the 3rd period in game 7 of the Challenge Cup Finals. He’d always deke forehand to backhand and roof the puck over the pretend goalie to win the game for his team.

Getting to play for the Patriotes in an outdoor rink would be beyond Jussi’s wildest dreams. There’s something about it that takes him back to his childhood. But overall, it is a gimmick game that isn’t any more important than any other regular season game.

ivanoff · 01-02-2025, 09:28 AM

Option 1:

Playing in a Winter Classic Game is a little dream for me. When I was young in French Alps, I play outdoor hockey many times. For example, in Alpe d'Huez or a frozen lake like Lac Genin in the Jura. It was very fun and beautiful, but it was never for real competition. It was just for enjoy the ice and nature (and view of the mountains). Playing in stadium now will feel similar but with real game energy. I think it is not only about selling expensive tickets. For players, it's a very special moment because it makes you remember why you love hockey. For me, it will feel like childhood but with bigger goal.
If I pick, I want rival team from my league, and I want game in place like Lake Geneva in Switzerland (very close to my homeplace). It's so pretty with mountains and ice. I also think fans can skate on ice before game, to share this joy with us.

MrPresident · 01-02-2025, 09:37 AM

Option 1
Kristian Seppanen, the star first line right defenceman (often abbreviated as RD) and assistant captain (which means he’s apparently a leader in the locker room and wears an embroidered A on his hockey sweater during games) for the Atlanta Inferno frozen dihydrogen oxyde (otherwise known as ice) hockey team (not to be confused with other types of hockey such as ball hockey or field hockey) of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the Simulation Hockey League, otherwise known as the SHL, loved playing hockey on outdoor rinks as a kid growing up. Kristian Seppanen would often play on frozen lakes, and backyard rinks built by his friends' parents. Playing in a stadium, however, is a unique experience that will not be able to be replicated - 20,000 fans in an arena is one thing, sixty to seventy thousand in a stadium is a whole other beast. And it's that for the fans too - while tickets may be more expensive, and to some extent a gimmick, it's one hell of an experience to be piled in a stadium with 60,000 others cheering on your favourite team in the dead of winter.

ibuprofenaddict · 01-02-2025, 10:09 AM

Option 1:

As Marek laces up his skates ahead of the winter classic game, he feels something in the pit of his stomach that he isnt used to anymore. Throughout his 4 prior seasons hes gotten used to the 66 game schedule - half home and half away, in front of 15-20k fans nightly. But a night game, outdoors, in a stadium of over 40k fans? This is going to be something special.

Carda never played a competitive game outside, especially one with spectators. He did skate on the river some back home in Czechia before the climate shifted so much that it became unsafe, so he knows the feeling- dry air, bitter cold, but exhilarating. The way the wind can shift and give you a boost on the breakaway, but the agony of experiencing that same wind as a backchecker. He looks forward to his old memories and his new reality colliding when he hits that ice.

The opportunity is definitely special for Marek because its unique, breaks up the monotony, and bring sback some of those ancient feelings. He hopes to do it again one day in the future, perhaps next time it will be against the Wolfpack at Fenway park because its a good rival and a legendary stadium - but for now to experience this at home in Philadelphia is quite a treat.

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