The New York Rangers will take their rivalries with the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils outdoors in 2014.
All three teams had players and executives as representatives on hand at Yankee Stadium Thursday for the official announcement of two separate games to take place at the venue in January.
The Rangers will play the Devils at 12:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 26, and then the puck will drop under the lights three days later as the Blueshirts take on the Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 29.
Photos of the press conference and where the ice will be set on the field can be viewed here.
The two hockey games are part of the NHL's new Coors Light Stadium Series, which consists of four outdoor games, and are just two of six games to be played outside in the 2013-14 NHL season. Other games slated for the Stadium Series include a match-up between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks at Dodgers Stadium (Jan. 25) and a faceoff between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the host Chicago Blackhawks at Soldier Field (March 1).
Two more games will be played outside including the Heritage Classic on March 2 in Vancouver between the Canucks and the Ottawa Senators, as well as the 2014 NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day between the Toronto Maple Leafs and host Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was on-hand in the Bronx, and expressed relief in finally gratifying a long awaited outdoor game at Yankee Stadium.
"It's no secret that people have urged us to play at Yankee Stadium since the moment it became clear that our outdoor games were such special, unique and fun events," Bettman said at Thursday's news conference, according to NHL.com. "The creation of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series allowed us to work within the Yankees' scheduling parameters and, just as important, include all three NHL teams from this area at this spectacular place."
Yankees president Andy Levine shared in the excitement that Bettman portrayed Thursday.
"We are excited to have the National Hockey League, the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils here at Yankee Stadium. It's a great honor," Levine said, according to NHL.com.
Out of the three teams, the Rangers are the only team to have played in an outdoor game prior to 2014's match-ups. The Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park by a 3-2 margin.
Many players have expressed their excitement to bring their heated rivalries to the frigid wintery outdoors, and videos of Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, Devils captain Bryce Salavador and Islanders center John Tavares, as long as many others sharing their opinions on the spectacle can be found here.
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