Honestly, it has been a rarity that the NHL Stadium Series and Winter Classic games have been more than just a mere spectacle.
Don't get me wrong, the Winter Classic and Stadium Series games have been an absolutely fantastic thing to add to the sport. The Winter Classic is now one of the major sporting events in the nation, and every year people get incredibly excited about New Year's Day and hockey.
But since the game takes place in January, there are no immediate or impending implications on the standings.
The 2014 Stadium Series featured a game between Pittsburgh and Chicago and Los Angeles and Anaheim. There were also two games for the Rangers, in which they faced the Islanders and the Devils.
While Chicago and Pittsburgh are two very talented hockey clubs, both were well into playoff spots and are in opposite conferences. There was nothing really to play for other than a standard two points for teams that weren't living or dying by those two points at the moment.
A similar situation was at hand when LA and Anaheim played in Dodger's stadium.
Both teams were fairly safe in their playoff hopes, and although there was a "Rivalry" in place the game lacked a real competitive punch. It was after the Stadium Series game when the Kings and Ducks rivalry really jumped up. Meeting in the playoffs for the first time will do that.
While the standings for the Devils and the Rangers was much closer than the previous two, the Rangers also pretty safely got into the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the Devils and the Islanders missing it somewhat predictably. (Although the Devils did only miss by five points).
In 2015 a similar non-conference match up took place in the Winter Classic between Chicago and Washington. Although it was an exciting game it again lacked the intensity of desperation.
Enter the Kings-Sharks at Levi Stadium, in what will be game 61 for San Jose and game 58 for the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings currently sit in 10th in the Western Conference with 66 points, while the Sharks sit in the final wild card spot of 8th with 68 points.
The West is embroiled in a standings dog fight right now, where 6th through 10th are separated by a mere three points in the standing.
See how this has meaning already? Need more?
Alright.
It's the second to last meeting of the season between San Jose and Los Angeles, who will play again on the final day of the regular season. San Jose have won two of the three games played.
The Sharks are currently battling a bit of wandering and inconsistent form, going 3-5-2 in their last 10. On the flip side, the LA Kings are maybe the hottest team in hockey right now outside of Minnesota. They have won six straight and are 7-3-0 in their last 10. This is, of course, after they looked about as dead as a doornail no more than two or three weeks ago. Funny how things can change in the NHL like that.
Even when the NHL planned this game out in its infant stages, never could they have picked a better scenario for drama and inspired play. At least you'd hope.
You have a four points swing game that could knock one team out of the playoff race while raising the other into it. You also have two clubs going in opposite directions, with an extreme amount of recent history between these division rivals, and it is all happening within the final quarter of the season. Every game is the playoffs for these two teams right now, and if they weren't amped up enough already by everything mentioned above...oh yea...it is under the lights of the 75,000 capacity (and sold-out) Levi Stadium in Santa Clara.
This is what hockey is about. This game may not have the standard nuance of an east coast frozen pond game. It may be getting played out West in temperatures that everyone East of the Rockies would be dreaming about right now. It may be between two teams that come from growing, but still non-standard hockey markets.
But damn it if this game doesn't have all the drama you could ask and hope for.
Now hopefully the on-ice product is as good as the build up is. The potential for this to be a memorable one is extreme.
Get excited folks, cause this should be awesome. Maybe one of the best potential outdoor games we've had? We shall see.
Follow me on twitter for news and notes about the Kings and the NHL
++++I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR ADVERTISERS! If you, or anyone you know would be interested in placing an ad on the blog here at HockeyBuzz then send me a PM!+++++