The Winter Classic might have been cancelled, but the NHL’s players could still find a way to have the next best thing.
The NHLPA is planning an outdoor game on Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, according to Sportsnet’s Daren Millard. If the NHL lockout hasn’t ended and a CBA isn’t ironed out, the players are prepared to set up a regulation-sized rink on the lake with stands on the shore.
Before hockey fans get too excited about the thought of seeing some of the sport’s biggest stars skating in the Great Outdoors, however, the issue of the union’s involvement would need to be resolved. If the NHLPA’s executive board disclaims interest, the union would effectively dissolve, leaving a big question mark as to how the game would be organized.
Of course, the best-case scenario would still be that the game was scrapped because the lockout was lifted and “real” hockey games resumed.
Check out the video below of the 2011 Pond Hockey Classic held at the lake.
Photo via Flickr/psd
