Saturday night's event was the first time the NHL has played an outdoor game at a U.S. service academyGetty Images
The Capitals beat the Maple Leafs 5-2 on Saturday in the Coors Light Stadium Series game at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, and there was "no mistaking this was a special occasion," according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the WASHINGTON POST. The game, the first outdoor NHL contest at a service academy, had "windy conditions and a late-game power outage." The game drew a crowd of "more than 29,000" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/4). In DC, Jacob Bogage noted the lights "went out at the 10-minute mark in the third period" with the Capitals up 5-2. After about 10 minutes, the stadium lights "began to flicker on again." It was "not immediately clear what caused the outage." The delay forced NBC to "move the end of the game" to NBCSN in "favor of local news" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/4). Also in DC, Adam Zielonka writes the event "went off without a hitch" aside from the outage (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/5). The AP's Stephen Whyno noted the league's first outdoor game at a U.S. service academy "probably won't be its last." The NHL "hopes to play games at Army's West Point and the Air Force Academy over the next few years." It is a "significant foray into honoring and partnering with branches of the military that follows the lead" of the NFL and MLB for a league that is split between the U.S. and Canada. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that he would be "surprised if the sequel" to Saturday's game comes as soon as the '18-19 season, though '19-20 is a "possibility" (AP, 3/3).
SOMETHING SPECIAL: Capitals RW T.J. Oshie said, "Tonight was a lot of fun. It was pretty special for me, pretty special for the team here." The AP's Whyno noted Navy midshipmen and Canadian servicemen and women "took part in a patriotic pregame ceremony capped off by a memorable flyover with only the afterburners visible against the night sky." In one of the "best-themed outdoor games to date, the game was played on a rink on top of a facsimile of an aircraft carrier with a replica jet stationed in one corner" (AP, 3/3). In Annapolis, Jimmy DeButts noted the game was the "place to be in Maryland on Saturday night." It drew "thousands to a once-in-lifetime event in Annapolis." DeButts: "Credit USNA Athletic Director Chet Gladchuck with the vision to leverage the academy’s prestige and mission to attract top-flight events to our humble town" (Annapolis CAPITAL GAZETTE, 3/4). Also in Annapolis, Bill Wagner wrote it "would not be an overstatement to say the atmosphere was absolutely spectacular." The NHL deserves "all credit" for creating an "amazing venue." Wagner: "Whoever came up with the idea of making it appear the ice rink was on top of an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean hit a home run" (Annapolis CAPITAL GAZETTE, 3/4). The POST's Khurshudyan writes with more than 29,000 fans in attendance, the game was a "more intimate setting than most outdoor games," and players "raved about everything from the pageantry to the ice conditions" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/5).
SALUTE TO SERVICE: USA TODAY's A.J. Perez noted the game had a "strong military presence." There were 500 midshipmen "involved in pregame festivities as [a] combat jet flew over" during the national anthem. Additionally, the Gold Medal-winning U.S. curling team "showed off their skills before the game," and during the second intermission, most of the members of the U.S. women's hockey team "were recognized for the team's first gold medal in 20 years" (USATODAY.com, 3/4). ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski noted hundreds of fans "lined up over 90 minutes" for an autograph session with the U.S. women's hockey team, with lines "stretching back to near the fan fest entrance" (ESPN.com, 3/3).
