Lake Tahoe disappoints...where would you suggest the NHL go?

[cynicalcitizen]

This is the answer. Right here.

Find someplace out in the wilderness of Alaska or the Yukon and play there.

I'd like to see the Rangers take on a local team of ragtag players in some place like Mystery, Alaska.

 

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

You know those places they show in the NHL Instagram account, with all the beautiful mountains and all that shit? Why don't they build a rink in there.

 

[NuxFan09]

Somewhere that's guaranteed to be cold. Like, not in Nevada (though aesthetically the location was amazing).

Lake Louise or Banff would be unreal, but the NHL is allergic to doing these things in Canada.

 

[cutchemist42]

Honestly, even before the ice problems I didnt find the venue to be that spectacular....

 

[DannyGallivan]

I am only finding out now (busy Saturday) that the first Lake Tahoe game was postponed due to lack of actual ice. The video I saw was laughable, showing players and refs both wiping out in ice that was little better than slush.

Obvs, NHL needs our help. What grand, outdoor site would you propose they investigate for a proper outdoor game? No stadiums please. And no parks, state, provincial or national either. Nothing in a city. Anyone got a suitable venue, with some beautiful nature cameras can focus on, cold consistent ice conditions, some nearby logistics e.g roads and power?

They were able to play an outdoor game in Californy...
Somebody get that ice maker.

 

[DannyGallivan]

I like the previous posters Montreal idea. If they want to try being out in nature again, Lake Louise, Alaska and Yukon have some pretty amazing scenery where keeping the ice solid shouldn’t be a problem.

The chance may never present itself again (hopefully), cuz I've got my fingers crossed that fans will actually be able to attend NHL hockey again starting next year. 30,000 to 50,000 fans in the stands surrounding the rink will kind of obliterate any nice scenery that lies beyond.

 

[DannyGallivan]

You know those places they show in the NHL Instagram account, with all the beautiful mountains and all that shit? Why don't they build a rink in there.

This picture reminds me of the pictures of the fast food burgers in the advertisements... versus what your really get. The actual game had pretty good scenery during the day, but once you put in the boards, lights, etc, and it looks like a glorified community club. Still pretty good, but nowhere near the ambience they were pushing.

 

[LadyStanley]

Wouldn't temperature be an issue with Allegiant Stadium? In order to make the ice to begin with there needs to be an extended period of sub-freezing temperature. And when the ice is actually skated on, the second it gets above freezing the ice starts turning into slush. Lake Tahoe was still questionable logistically despite record low temperatures earlier this month. I would think Allegiant Stadium and Vegas in general has probably never seen an extended period of the sub-zero temperature.

Allegiant Stadium is a retractable roof, so in theory you could close it partially to block direct sunlight.

Temperatures weren’t the problem. The high was 34f today. The direct sunlight was the problem. I remember the Devils-Rangers game in 2014 had to be delayed about 90 minutes because of the sunlight and it was close to the negative degrees Fahrenheit

First, Allegiant has a fixed (translucent) roof. Not retractable. BUT it does have a lanai door/window that faces the Strip that can be opened. (I can guarantee that no one in this discussion has been in the stadium as it just opened last summer and excluding some family members of UNLV football, there have been NO FANS allowed in for events. So lack of NFL fandom is showing )

No temperature issues in Las Vegas. Been 30-65F this week. And being indoors, not that big an issue to have ice kept cold.

We did have snow this month.

This is the answer. Right here.

Find someplace out in the wilderness of Alaska or the Yukon and play there.

First, you'll need to build an airport so the team charters can get there. (You'll need buses and hotels and restaurants to support them.)

Somewhere that's guaranteed to be cold. Like, not in Nevada (though aesthetically the location was amazing).

Lake Louise or Banff would be unreal, but the NHL is allergic to doing these things in Canada.

ALL of Nevada ranges from high desert to alpine heights. IT GETS COLD HERE IN THE WINTER. And the winds can whip up the windchill factor. Humidity is usually low. Had a couple of winter storms go through in the last week or so. Lows in Las Vegas have been at freezing this past week (highs haven't reached 70F this past week).

Nevada may be arid/desert like, but we do not have triple digit temperatures in the winter (climate change notwithstanding).

 

[hockeyguy0022]

Somewhere that's guaranteed to be cold. Like, not in Nevada (though aesthetically the location was amazing).

Lake Louise or Banff would be unreal, but the NHL is allergic to doing these things in Canada.

I mean, people laugh at Saskatoon..... but the NHL did go to REGINA (which is way worse).... for the heritage classic in 2019 . Which was very successful.

 

[eramosat]

Honestly, even before the ice problems I didnt find the venue to be that spectacular....

Yep.

a spectacular ice rink is one with endless ice surrounding the rink on all sides, bordered by coniferous forest, backgrounded with mountains. like NHL Instagram suggests.

 

[Crayton]

National Mall?

 

[Bondurant]

Had a couple of winter storms go through in the last week or so. Lows in Las Vegas have been at freezing this past week (highs haven't reached 70F this past week).

Actual freezing or "freezing" from the perspective of someone from Vegas? According to Weather.com the lowest in Vegas was 2 days in December hitting 33 degrees. At its coldest not literally freezing.

 

[Edenjung]

i suggest this location

 

[tarheelhockey]

Would it be so hard to put up a giant one of these, tilted to the angle that the sun will be at during game time?

Yes it's a "roof" but it's still very much an outdoor game and beats the hell out of playing at 1am.

 

[Yukon Joe]

This is the answer. Right here.

Find someplace out in the wilderness of Alaska or the Yukon and play there.

You can't put something like this out in the wilderness though. There's too much infrastructure required. It requires a ton of power to run the icemaker, the lights, the tv cameras. Even with no fans there has to be, what - 100 people at one of these games, (including players)? So you need food and bathroom facilities as well.

That being said... the idea of putting on an NHL game in Haines Junction, Yukon (which is a village, not wilderness), with the massive Kluane Mountains in the background, does give me chills...

 

[BigZ65]

How much benefit did the NHL receive from this Tahoe experience?

Did they bring in ad revenue to outweigh the cost?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Outdoor games were done originally for a) higher gate grosses, and b) the visual novelty to get higher ratings.

But the novelty has gotten old by this point, so even games next to stunning vistas I don't think would really do much better than just an above average nationally broadcast game between two contenders.

So B isn't really much of a factor any more, but teams still want outdoor games as a baseball park has double the seating of a hockey arena and a football stadium has 3-5x the seating. Couple that with higher prices charged, and it's a huge windfall for the team hosting.

I could list off a handful of scenic venues that would be very fun visual spectacles, like near the Grand Canyon or literally right under the St. Louis Arch or on top of an aircraft carrier or right on the National Mall or the Ottawa canals, but unless you can have fans attend I don't think it is monetarily worth it.

It was a fun experiment and worthwhile to try when Covid is still in force preventing mass gatherings (in most places), but I don't think additional eyeballs are being drawn to NBC because of [insert location here] anymore.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

How much benefit did the NHL receive from this Tahoe experience?

Did they bring in ad revenue to outweigh the cost?

They didn't 'bring in' any new money, rather, this whole ordeal was about 'making up' what they were already supposed to bring in from the Winter Classic, All-Star Game, etc.

No coincidence that Bridgestone and Honda each were the presenting sponsors of 1 game, as they both are the presenting sponsor of 1 of those events.

 

[LadyStanley]

Actual freezing or "freezing" from the perspective of someone from Vegas? According to Weather.com the lowest in Vegas was 2 days in December hitting 33 degrees. At its coldest not literally freezing.

"February, the last month of the winter, in Las Vegas, is a mild month, with temperature in the range of an average low of 41.4°F (5.2°C) and an average high of 55.8°F (13.2°C). In February, the average high-temperature is essentially the same as in January - a mild 55.8°F (13.2°C)."

Those are AVERAGES.

At McCarron Airport: https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/las-vegas/89101/february-weather/329506?year=2021

I live 25 miles away. Seems to be about 5' colder.


'Snow in Las Vegas!' Some parts of the valley see snow

We did have snow this (calendar) year.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

"February, the last month of the winter, in Las Vegas, is a mild month, with temperature in the range of an average low of 41.4°F (5.2°C) and an average high of 55.8°F (13.2°C). In February, the average high-temperature is essentially the same as in January - a mild 55.8°F (13.2°C)."

Those are AVERAGES.

At McCarron Airport: https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/las-vegas/89101/february-weather/329506?year=2021

I live 25 miles away. Seems to be about 5' colder.


'Snow in Las Vegas!' Some parts of the valley see snow

We did have snow this (calendar) year.

Not to mention how much colder it is up in Lake Tahoe. Average lows are in the low teens to single digits.

It's like people think the entire state is like Death Valley.

edit: if you want to get technical, Las Vegas has lows in the 20s and teens with ~97" of snow annually. That is if you factor in Mt Charleston, which is technically still Las Vegas (according to the Post Office) and patrolled by Metro

 

[Doctor No]

I graded actuarial exams in Vegas a few years back in mid-December, and it was below freezing on the Strip. I remember the showgirls at one casino were out front in standard attire, and let's just say that they looked cold.

 

[Llama19]

NHL Loses One Million Lake Tahoe Viewers Due to Bad Ice and 8-Hour Delay

To quote:

"According to Nielsen data, NBC’s broadcast of the first period of the Colorado Avalanche-Las Vegas Golden Knights game averaged 1.36 million viewers and a 0.8 household rating before the bright winter sun turned the makeshift rink into a giant Slush Puppie. Play was halted at 12:55 p.m. PT, and by the time the ice was fit to play on again, it was two minutes past midnight on the East Coast and the action had shifted from NBC to its cable sibling NBCSN.

The remaining two periods averaged 361,000 viewers, or 995,000 fewer fans than were tuned in when the puck dropped the previous afternoon. The Avalanche won 3-2."

Source: www.sportico.com/business/media/2021/bad-ice-in-lake-tahoe-robs-nhl-of-1-million-viewers-1234623345/

 

[Ernie]

Couple that with higher prices charged, and it's a huge windfall for the team hosting.

Just a note that the ticket revenue goes to the league, not the team. The league kicks back the amount of revenue that the team would have gained from a regular home game.

 

[WaveRaven]

Rideau canal in Ottawa would be cool. But not sure how reliable the ice is.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

It’s probably a near impossibility logistics wise but on a rooftop with a big city backdrop like NY or Tronna would be cool.