On Feb. 17 and 18, the walls of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, shook with the cheers of National Hockey League fans from all across the metro area. Two games took place, as the New Jersey Devils played the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m., and the New York Rangers played the New York Islanders on Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.

Much preparation went into transforming the famous football stadium into a hockey arena. Organizers began a four-day process of creating the ice on Feb. 8. According to NHL News, this process includes the usage of a “mobile refrigeration truck” that has the capacity to hold 300 tons of coolant and is 53 feet long. “The refrigeration unit pump[ed] as much as 3,000 gallons of glycol coolant into custom-made aluminum trays that [were] configured on the field at MetLife Stadium.” The coolant kept the trays chilled, allowing the ice to stay at the “ideal surface temperature of 22 degrees.” This was able to be done through a series of hoses that ran from the refrigeration unit onto the field of MetLife. Following the placement of these custom trays, the team then installed the rink boards. Instead of a traditional home team logo, the logo of the Stadium Series could be seen at the center of the ice. This process was set to be completed by Feb. 14.

The teams then had practice on the ice, with the Islanders practicing on Feb. 15, and the Rangers, Devils, and Flyers practicing at various times on Feb. 16. These practices were more casual than the average pregame practice, consisting of both drills and other activities  such as team photos. Following these practices there was a “family skate,” allowing the players to skate on the ice with children, spouses, and other family members.

For this event, the NHL transformed MetLife Stadium into “NHL Stadium Series Park.” When speaking to the media, NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer stated, “New Jersey is known for its parks, whether it’s Liberty State Park or Branch Brook Park in Newark … We’re going to have areas with green and [activate] it with amphitheaters, street hockey rinks, and places to walk in.” The NHL then hired actors to participate in these scenes, having people in the “park” participate in activities such as walking dogs, hula hooping, selling food, running, cycling, pushing strollers and more. This attraction garnered a lot of fan attention on social media, causing many to post pictures and videos that proceeded to go viral. 

This theme of “New Jersey pride” carried into the gameday entertainment, as tailgating was encouraged. Mayer commented, “The parking lots open early, and as far as tailgating … go for it, this is Jersey.” The two musical performances for the game on Feb. 17 were also New Jersey-inspired, featuring the Jonas Brothers, who were born in the state, as well as Gaslight Anthem, who play the Devils’ goal song. The Feb. 18 game featured the band AJR, who were born and raised in New York. These groups all expressed excitement when announcing their participation in such a big event representing their home states.

A moment looked forward to by all hockey fans, outdoor games consist of special team arrivals, with a coordinated costume that represents the city they hail from. The Flyers all dressed up as the character “Rocky,” dawning gray tracksuits, black beanies and hand wraps as they jogged into the stadium. The Devils also arrived in tracksuits, dressing up like many characters from the hit show “The Sopranos.” The Rangers showed their support for the New York Police and Fire Departments by receiving an escort and wearing hockey sweaters of the NYPD and FDNY. The Islanders also received this escort but stepped out of the fire trucks wearing suites that would be traditional for any other game. Fans were disappointed in the lack of participation from the Islanders, and many blamed the more “old-fashioned” general manager of the team, Lou Lamoriello.

The Devils ended up taking home a win over the Flyers, with a final score of 6-3, leaving the New Jersey fans very happy. The Devils’ goalie Nico Daws made 45 saves, while captain Nico Hischier and Nathan Bastian scored two goals each. Brendan Smith and Tyler Toffoli scored the other two New Jersey goals. The Flyers’ goalie Samuel Ersson made 34 saves, and two of the three goals were scored by Owen Tippett. The other Flyers’ goal was scored by Nick Seeler. This was the first time that the Devils won an outdoor game, as well as the first time that they hosted in their home state. 

The Rangers beat the Islanders 6-5 in overtime during their Feb. 18 game. This was a large comeback, as the score at one point was 4-1 Islanders, with two points scored within 16 seconds by Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. This comeback was sealed with a goal from Artemi Panarin just 10 seconds into the overtime period. The other Rangers’ goals were scored by Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Erik Gustafsson and Vincent Trocheck — with Trocheck scoring two. The Ranger’s goalie Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves, preserving the streak of the Rangers never losing an outdoor game. The goalie for the Flyers, Ilya Sorokin, made 32 saves. The other Flyers goals were scored by Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, and Alexander Romanov. Both of these games were very exciting, causing fans both in the stadium and at home to hold their breath in anticipation of the final score. 

This weekend, the NHL released the teams and location of the Stadium Series games set to take place on March 1, 2025. These games will be played by the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Ohio State University football team.