The sports world is upside down. The Super Bowl may be played in a snowstorm. Meantime, in Los Angeles this weekend, they'll be playing a hockey game in a heat wave.
The NHL is launching its Coors Light Stadium Series with the first ever official outdoor game west of the Rockies. The Los Angeles Kings will host the league-leading Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.
"It's pretty cool being in Dodger Stadium and standing on, for me, where Sandy Koufax was pitching, and Don Drysdale was pitching, and Maury Wills," said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. It may be cool, but temperatures could be quite warm. Although the game begins at 6:30 p.m., highs during the day could touch 80 degrees.
"We're hoping for a 55-degree night when we drop the puck," said Dan Craig, senior director of facilities operations for the NHL. Keeping the ice icy has become a priority, though players don't seem too concerned. "I'd rather play with it a little hot rather than it snowing or raining or being freezing cold," said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.