The NHL's best this week: Where should the next outdoor game be held?

The NHL will cross a long-anticipated market off the list for outdoor games, hosting the first such matchup in Florida on Friday. The Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park, the home of MLB's Miami Marlins.

Baseball and football stadiums typically add an extra layer of charm and uniqueness to the aerial visual of the game itself -- the scenes from Fenway Park in 2023 will forever be among the most iconic. ESPN will then broadcast the Stadium Series game Feb. 1, when the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now that we can all take "Florida" off of our wish lists, here are the top five places where I want to see an outdoor NHL game held:

1. Utah. This would be gorgeous scenery -- imagine Rice-Eccles Stadium and those incredible vistas. The Mammoth are building something special in the state, and owner Ryan Smith could be a big advocate for a game such as this. I hope they are on the list for the near future.

2. The Rideau Canal. I know that the NHL is a business -- you can sell 90,000-100,000 tickets to a stadium game -- but I just can't get the image of the Lake Tahoe outdoor games out of my mind. The scene was spectacular (even if it was born out of necessity because of the pandemic-era social distancing restrictions).

A preseason game with the Ottawa Senators hosting at the iconic Canadian landmark (people literally skate to work on the canal in the winter) with a community focus would be great.

3. Istanbul. OK, that particular spot is a nod to my Turkish heritage -- but I'd love to explore outdoor venues outside of North America. How about soccer stadiums in hockey-loving countries such as Sweden, Finland or Czechia? Or imagine Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers playing at Allianz Arena in Munich, home of Bayern Munich. Of course, it all comes down to dollars and (making) sense, but for a hypothetical wish list like this, I'm dreaming big.

4. A VR environment. I'm a massive proponent of alternate broadcasts -- and I was able to serve as the reporter for the Big City Greens Classic, a memory I'll cherish forever. To tie it into the "outdoors," imagine a massive sound studio surrounded by volumetric walls where an NHL game is happening and the fans decide which scenes they are playing in. They can be anywhere -- a digital Colosseum in Rome, Sydney Harbour, Mars, Tatooine. The possibilities are endless.

5. Other neutral sites. In 2019, the NHL hosted a Heritage Classic outdoor game between the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames in Regina, Saskatchewan (350 miles from Winnipeg and 460 miles from Calgary). How about Atlanta, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Quebec and other cities currently without NHL teams? Or what about some other college football team stadiums? Those often have massive amounts of history and charm.

Jump ahead:
Games of the week
What I loved this weekend
Hart Trophy candidates
Social post of the week
Stick taps

Biggest games of the week

The Oilers are my team to watch this week. Will Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl keep tearing it up, and will the Oilers take sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division? They are a point behind the Vegas Golden Knights but have played three more games. This week they have:

The Jets on Monday, a winnable game against a team that is struggling at 2-5-3 in its past 10.

The Bruins on Wednesday, who have the must-watch Morgan Geekie marching to 50 goals but are themselves 4-5-1 in their past 10 including three straight losses.

The Philadelphia Flyers, who are third in a very crowded Metro Division.

Other key games to watch

MONDAY

Washington
Capitals at

Florida
Panthers

7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Los Angeles
Kings at

Colorado
Avalanche

9 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Minnesota
Wild at

Vegas
Golden Knights

10 p.m. ET | ESPN+

TUESDAY

Montreal
Canadiens at

Florida
Panthers

7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

WEDNESDAY

Tampa Bay
Lightning at

Anaheim
Ducks

4 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Buffalo
Sabres at

Dallas
Stars

8 p.m. ET | ESPN+

THURSDAY

Montreal
Canadiens at

Carolina
Hurricanes

7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

FRIDAY

Minnesota
Wild at

Anaheim
Ducks

10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+

SATURDAY

Pittsburgh
Penguins at

Detroit
Red Wings

12 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+

Colorado
Avalanche at

Carolina
Hurricanes

7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Minnesota
Wild at

Los Angeles
Kings

9 p.m. ET | ESPN+

SUNDAY

Colorado
Avalanche at

Florida
Panthers

5 p.m. ET | ESPN+

What I loved this weekend

A lot of things had to happen in perfect sequence for this to happen, and they did. And this goalie just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.

In the KHL, a player hit an opposing team's player into his own bench, and that player happened to barrel into the backup goalie. What luck!

Pretty unique kind of friendly fire 🧐 pic.twitter.com/hMXiqkCBOj

Hart Trophy candidates if the season ended today

Connor McDavid is on an 11-game point streak where he has picked up 31 points! That ties the most points over an 11-game span in the past 25 seasons -- with himself in 2021-22. He had a five-assist game during last Tuesday's renewal of the Battle of Alberta, which makes him the fourth Oilers player with multiple five-assist games in his career; Wayne Gretzky had 12, Paul Coffey had two and Leon Draisaitl has two. McDavid is obviously the favorite for the Hart now, surpassing ...

Nathan MacKinnon, who is now second in scoring with 64 points (McDavid has 68). MacKinnon had a slow week by his standards, with eight points in five games, and was held off the scoresheet against Utah, snapping an eight-game point streak.

I'm keeping Macklin Celebrini as my third choice knowing that Draisaitl is also turning it up, with 12 points in his past five games to pull within a point of Celebrini. To end calendar 2025, Mack stays in this pack. He has 11 points in his past five games.

Social media post of the weekend

Shoutout to the Toronto Maple Leafs admin! Some people have categorized the Leafs as a stuffy Original Six team, but the social media crew has been thinking outside the box for some really fun content. I can't fully explain why, but its ZamCam POV posts throughout Christmas Day were hilarious:

POV: You wanted the ZamCam to feel more realistic pic.twitter.com/KLDAAdP13t

Stick taps

Stick taps this week go to Gord and Everett Brady, two young players in the Greater Toronto area. Gord is a forward with the U15A Bruce Grey Bulls (switching between center and right wing). Everett is a goalie for the Grey Bulls U11B team. Gord scored the shootout winner in the semifinals of a September tournament, while Everett made 42 saves in his team's first win of the regular season Dec. 3.

Keep crushing it, boys!