Avalanche To Play Golden Knights At Lake Tahoe For NHL Outdoor Series

(AP/CBS4) - The NHL is taking its outdoor series to Lake Tahoe. The league announced it will hold two games on an outdoor rink set up at Edgewood Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada.

The Colorado Avalanche will play the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 20 (& Boston faces Philadelphia on Feb. 21) on a temporary rink set up on the 18th hole at Edgewood, site of the annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.

Avs general manager Joe Sakic said in a statement that Lake Tahoe is "one of the most beautiful areas in the world and a perfect spot for an outdoor game."

No fans will be allowed to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"Although we wish our great fans could be there in person, we know they will enjoy watching what will be a great weekend of hockey," he said.

The NHL has been conducting outdoor games since 2003 and the two in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe event will be the 31st and 32nd in the series.

The league had been looking for new sites to play outdoor games and decided Lake Tahoe was a perfect fit. The area will provide dramatic views, with towering snow-capped mountains rising above the massive lake on the state line between California and Nevada.

The golf course offered plenty of space to set up a temporary rink and the resort at Edgewood allows the league to have a bubble-like environment.

The Avalanche have played in three outdoor games, including one at Coors Field in 2016.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)