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Photos: Yankee Stadium Hosts Its First Hockey Game

By , who has been covering sports for New York since 2006
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) A general view of action from the upper seats in the first period during the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium on January 26, 2014 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) A general view of action from the upper seats in the first period during the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium on January 26, 2014 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) Photo: Len Redkoles/2014 NHLI

There’s been chatter about staging an outdoor hockey game in the Bronx since before the Yankees’ old ballpark was torn down, and yesterday, it finally happened, with the first of this week’s two NHL Stadium Series contests at the new Yankee Stadium. 

In front of 50,105 bundled-up fans, the Rangers defeated the Devils, 7-3, on a rink constructed atop the stadium’s infield. (Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who was pulled after allowing six goals on 21 shots through two periods, blasted the quality of the ice, though he might also want to blast the team in front of him, which allowed odd-man rush after odd-man rush.) A day after the Kings and Ducks played a game outdoors at Dodger Stadium (game-time temperature: 61 degrees), fans in New York watched as a light snow fell during part of the game, which was delayed some 40 minutes because of glare on the ice. (Game-time temperature in the Bronx: 24 degrees.)

A little snow, however, means even better visuals. Here, some images from the day.

Rangers forward Dominic Moore plays catch before the game. Photo: Len Redkoles/2014 NHLI
The Rangers, designated as the away team for the day, emerge from the visitors dugout. Photo: Len Redkoles/2014 NHLI
Martin Brodeur leads the Devils onto the ice. Members of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums and the NYPD Pipes and Drums played as the teams entered the stadium during pre-game ceremonies. Photo: Dave Sandford/2014 NHLI
The game’s opening face-off. Photo: Dave Sandford/2014 NHLI
Action during the second period. Photo: Dave Sandford/2014 NHLI
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault and his snazzy jacket. Photo: Bruce Bennett/2014 Getty Images
The Rangers celebrate a goal in the snow. Photo: Bruce Bennett/2014 Getty Images
A view from the upper deck. Photo: Al Bello/2014 Getty Images
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist wore pinstripe pads in honor of the game at Yankee Stadium. Photo: Scott Levy/2014 Madison Square Garden, L.P.
The Devils celebrate a goal. Photo: Bruce Bennett/2014 Getty Images
Henrik Lundqvist makes a save against Travis Zajac. Photo: Bruce Bennett/2014 Getty Images
The Rangers celebrate a goal. Photo: Brian Babineau/2014 NHLI
Action in the snow. Photo: Bruce Bennett/2014 Getty Images
Fans watch as a light snow falls. Photo: Len Redkoles/2014 NHLI
An aerial shot. A stage in the outfield was designed to look like a subway sign, with light-up subway lines branching out around it. Photo: LI-Aerial/2013 Getty Images

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Photos: Yankee Stadium’s First Hockey Game