The 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series between the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning in Nashville on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, TVAS2) will bring outdoor hockey back to the South and should provide plenty of lasting memories.
With things gearing up in Music City this week, let's take a look at some of the most memorable moments from the previous 11 NHL Stadium Series games.
Top 10 memorable moments in NHL Stadium Series history
Streaking Gritty, Lundqvist pinstripe sweep, milestones for Ovechkin, Jagr among highlights
So much Gritty
We've seen a lot of the Philadelphia Flyers mascot since he was introduced Sept. 24, 2018, but we all saw more than we bargained for when he went streaking during the 2019 Stadium Series between the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Feb. 23. Gritty ran in front of the rink for a few seconds before being captured by "security." As the kids say, we can't unsee that.
Sealed with a KISS
The game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, the first of four outdoors during the 2013-14 season, got off to a rocking start on Jan. 25, with KISS performing. The legendary rock band, with founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and newer members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, played during the pregame and first intermission at Dodger Stadium. Performing "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Detroit Rock City," KISS was in full form, and make-up, of course.
Jonathan Toews' moves in the snow
The snow was swirling and visibility didn't seem great at the fourth 2014 game, March 1 at Soldier Field in Chicago, which often is referred to as the "Snow Globe Game." But that didn't stop Jonathan Toews. The Chicago Blackhawks forward made a nifty move around Penguins defenseman
Brooks Orpik
to beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead in the second period. Among Chicago fans, this is likely their favorite among the six games the Blackhawks have played outdoors: it's the only one they've won.
California love
The NHL took the game West again in 2015, when the Kings and San Jose Sharks played Feb. 21 at Levi's Stadium, home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, in Santa Clara, California. The event was a sellout (70,205), the temperature at puck drop a comfortable 57.4 degrees and it was a great night for the visitors. The Kings defeated the Sharks 2-1, extending their winning streak to seven games.
Lundqvist snazzy in pinstripes
New York Rangers goalie
Henrik Lundqvist
paid homage to the New York Yankees with his pinstripe pads for two games at Yankee Stadium, against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 26, 2014 and the New York Islanders on Jan. 29, 2014. The Rangers won twice, with Lundqvist making 19 saves in a 7-3 win against the Devils and 30 saves in a 2-1 win against the Islanders.
Another Ovechkin milestone
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin became the sixth player in NHL history to score 40 or more goals in at least nine NHL seasons when he scored in a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, on March 3, 2018.
March of the Penguins
In this case, we mean actual penguins. Before the Penguins hosted the Flyers for the 2017 game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Feb. 25, seven live penguins from the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium came onto the field. Other than one penguin slipping off the ramp as it hit the ice, all went smoothly.
Jagr's moments
Former NHL forward
Jaromir Jagr
, who turned 50 on Feb. 15, still is playing hockey in his native Czech Republic. But at the 2014 game with the Devils against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium, Jagr still was working his way through the NHL record book. He had two assists to give him 1,035 and move into 10th place in NHL history, passing former Penguins forward
Mario Lemieux
. Jagr finished his NHL career with 1,155 assists, fifth in history.
Coors Field crowd response to alumni game
The alumni game is part of many outdoor events, but the introductions of former players for the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 27, 2016 at Coors Field in Denver were especially vocal. Keep in mind, many of those players, from defenseman
Chris Chelios
and forward
Steve Yzerman
for Detroit to forward
Joe Sakic
and goalie
Patrick Roy
for Colorado, were part of a bitter rivalry in the 1990s. Former Red Wings were booed as vehemently as former Avalanche players were cheered exuberantly.
Teen inspires Minnesota
Josh Karels, who was diagnosed with a rare immune deficiency disease in 2006, was the honorary flag bearer when the Minnesota Wild hosted the Blackhawks on Feb. 21, 2016 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Karels, a 15-year-old who continued to play hockey after his diagnosis, touched gloves with each Wild player prior to puck drop.