Victor Hedman remembers rushing home from school and scarfing down whatever food he could find.
The aim was to get into the frigid winter air as soon as possible. The destination? The local outdoor rink.
"It was every day for me," the Tampa Bay Lightning captain said of his hockey-packed childhood in Sweden. "I could skate on the road … it was just a few minutes away. We spent so much time there."
Still recovering from elbow surgery, Hedman could be back in the lineup Sunday when his team faces the Boston Bruins outdoors in the Florida sun at Raymond James Stadium — home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers — as part of the NHL's Stadium Series.
Professional hockey players were kids with dreams before making the big time. The goals scored, games won and trophies raised often first played out in their mind's eyes on uneven sheets of frozen water.
"The most pure hockey memories," Washington Capitals centre Pierre-Luc Dubois said of falling in love with the game in the elements as a kid growing up in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Que. "Not keeping score, there's no jerseys. You're out there to play. Sticks in the middle and it's 12-versus-12. Not much room.
"But some of the best memories."
Nashville Predators centre Ryan O'Reilly said his parents — like many still do today — spent hours curating the family's backyard rink.
"Up all hours of the night, flooding it, getting a big barrel and dumping the barrel," said the Clinton, Ont., product. "It was incredible. That's where that love of the game comes from. We'd be out there until dinnertime, go and eat, come back out and get called in for bed.
"You're beet-red, face is burnt."
Vegas Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel, who grew up just outside Boston, remembers feeling free on the local ponds each winter.
"There's not a coach telling you to do a drill," he said. "There's nothing more natural about the game than just being out there and with a stick and a puck … whether you're passing around with someone, shooting on net, just skating.
"Great times."
Minnesota Wild defenceman Quinn Hughes remembers the outdoor rinks — including in Toronto when his father worked for the Maple Leafs — as sanctuaries without pressure.
"I wasn't thinking about like my game or anything," he said. "It was just fun."
St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas would watch the world junior hockey championship or NHL players at the Olympics, and then head outside.
"You're trying to recreate all the goals out there and hit your buddies in the snow banks," said the Aurora, Ont., native. "There's tons of great memories. Every chance you can to play outside now, it's super special."
Carolina Hurricanes centre Seth Jarvis spent as much time as he could on the local rink, even procuring a set of keys to keep the lights on late into those cold Winnipeg nights.
"It was everything for me," Jarvis said. "I was out there for way longer than I should have been. I definitely had school and stuff I had to do. But that's where I fell in love with hockey.
"You don't realize how fun it was outside until you don't do it anymore. It was the best time of my life."
Ask NHL players about his outdoor rink memories and their eyes often light up.
"There's something about it that is so Canadian," O'Reilly said. "It was just such an event. It was something you just did every day: 'Let's go on the pond or let's go to the backyard rink.'
"Special thing."
SURGING SABRES
The Buffalo Sabres drilled the Maple Leafs 7-4 in Toronto on Tuesday to improve to an NHL-best 19-3-1 over their last 23 games. The franchise has missed the playoff 14 straight seasons — the league's longest active drought — but that dry run could finally come to an end this spring.
SCHEDULE CRUNCH
The NHL's Olympic return means men's hockey will see a true best-on-best competition for the first time since the 2014 event in Sochi, Russia. It has also created a tight regular-season schedule across the league with lots of games — and little time to practise.
"It has been tough," Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. "We're a team that has to be on the ice to really get better. We have a sports science department that keeps the coaching staff in line, lets us know when we're running hot or cold, whether it's the group or individuals, and we try and react to that. Like any season, it gets a little more narrow as the year goes on as far as practice time goes.
"But seems to be happening quicker this year."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2026.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
