Roaming The Rinks

Outdoor hockey seem to be all the rage these days.  Even leagues like the USHL are getting on board, and the NHL has had high budget events at such venerable settings as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field in recent years.  College hockey has had its share of cleverly named events as well, including the "Cold War" game at Spartan Stadium where Michigan State took on Michigan, and the "Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic"  at Lambeau Field, featuring the Wisconsin Badgers versus Ohio State.  Even the Swedish Elite League has made an annual outdoor game an attraction since 2009.  Perhaps the most unique setting for a game to date has been the 2009 KHL All Star Game, which took place at a temporary arena in Red Square in Moscow.  With the seemingly endless list of new outdoor venues, from Hamilton, to Hartford, to Spokane, to Syracuse the novelty of an outdoor game seems to have almost jumped the shark.

                                              

With the announcement of 2 Austrian League games to be played at Pula Arena in Pula Croatia the thought of outdoor games just got a whole lot more interesting.  Can you imagine hockey played in a Roman Ampitheatre that is so old no one is exactly sure when it was built?  Just the fact that this place was built in either the first century BC, or the first century AD, yet still stands to this day is cool in and of itself.  The fact that there will be professional hockey played there in September is almost inconceivable.  This game won't really be as much about the game itself, but rather about the unlikely backdrop.  Roaming The Rinks will not be booking a flight to Croatia for this one, but the thought of this game was too good not to mention here.  Until there is hockey played on the moon it is gonna be hard to top this one.