NHL eyes Lake Tahoe area for outdoor games

Sharks will not be one of four teams to play in ‘Outdoor Weekend’

But the San Jose Sharks will not be one of the four teams that slated to play on “Outdoor Weekend.”

Is Lake Tahoe Sharks territory?

Not next month, anyway.

The NHL is planning to hold two outdoor games at Lake Tahoe in February, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet in Canada, and the San Jose Sharks — the closest team to the Tahoe area in terms of geography — will reportedly not be a part of either game.

The Vegas Golden Knights will play the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 20. The next day, the Philadelphia Flyers will host the Boston Bruins. The games will reportedly be part of the NHL’s “Outdoor Weekend” and be televised by NBC. This will be the first outdoor game for the Golden Knights, who entered the NHL for the 2017-2018 season.

According to Friedman, a rink will be built around the picturesque 16th, 17th and 18th holes on the golf course at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nev. The course annually hosts the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, which has featured past and present NHL players like Wayne Gretzky and Joe Pavelski.

No spectators will be allowed to attend the games, according to the report, which also mentions that while this is a oneoff event for now, the NHL may consider doing more of these games at scenic locations in the future.

The Sharks are scheduled to be in St. Louis to play the Blues on Feb. 20. They are then slated to have a five- day break before they are scheduled to be the home team for two more games against the Blues on Feb. 26 and 27.

Because of the uncertainties surrounding their schedule this season, the Sharks did not have discussions with the NHL about this particular event in Lake Tahoe, according to a team spokesman, who added that the organization would enjoy being a part of something similar in the future.

The Sharks right now are also not considered one of the NHL’s marquee teams, both in terms of their expectations for this season and the breadth of their television audience.