The Winter Classic Won't Be The First Major Foray Outdoors For Vegas

The Vegas Golden Knights will travel to the Emerald City to take on the Seattle Kraken on New Year's Day. But this isn't any typical hockey game. While two points will be on the line, it'll take place outdoors at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners. Instead of home runs, we're getting goals.

The classic event has hosted various memories at iconic venues, including Ann Arbor Stadium and Fenway Park. This matchup should be no different, with T-Mobile Park preparing for another epic Winter Classic.

But this won't be the first time the city of Las Vegas has been involved in some form. Whether it's by a professional team participating or the city hosting, Sin City does have some history behind playing outdoors.

We have to go back decades to look at the first time Las Vegas was involved with an outdoor hockey game. Youngins', get your pencils and pieces of paper out! You're about to learn a little bit about how the seeds were planted in Vegas for some hockey!

1. September 27, 1991: New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings

To understand Las Vegas's outdoor history, we must go back to where it all began. The exhibition game on September 27, 1991, between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings was the first of its kind. The NHL never hosted an outdoor game in its history and the idea seemed a bit ludicrous.

Still, that didn't deter Rich Rose, president of Caesars Sports World, from proposing the idea in 1988. His idea was laughed off by most of the NHL brass, except for one man: Steve Flatow. Flatow, the NHL's marketing director then, loved the idea and proposed pairing his beloved Rangers with the Kings for the event.

Having two of the biggest markets in the game was perfect for a big event in Sin City, after all. Everything was set up, contacts were made, and we had ourselves an outdoor game. In came the corporate sponsors such as Toyota and Budweiser as well.

But there was a blazing hot problem with the event: the temperature was too hot for the outdoor game. Like 85 degrees Fahrenheit hot. To combat this, the NHL had to use more refrigeration equipment than usual. Not only that but fabric strips were put in place of painted lines for the rink.

Still, the event was a hit. Over 13,000 attended the exhibition game and the Los Angeles Kings won, 5-2. The impact of the game was felt in many ways in the future, with various events (and a team) following.

2. The Aftermath

After the Caesars Palace tilt, the Los Angeles Kings hosted an annual preseason game in Las Vegas from 1997 to 2016. Known as Frozen Fury, it mainly pitted the Kings against the Colorado Avalanche. Sometimes, Los Angeles would have opponents like the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks squaring off.

The NHL also set up shop in Sin City with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017. Major events followed, including an All-Star Game and an NHL Draft. Gary Bettman and crew also have ambitious plans for the new Sphere: The NHL plans on hosting the Draft in the newest attraction.

As for the Golden Knights, they've enjoyed tremendous success in their history. From making the Stanley Cup Final in their first season to winning it in six seasons, Vegas has already impacted the NHL in a major way.