With football winding towards the end of its season, it’s time for the NHL to hit its stretch run for the next few months.

Each week, we’ll look back on some of the most important and interesting things that took place on and/or off the ice.

By Michael Masson – @masson1225

Outdoor Hockey Will Always Be Awesome to Watch

Personally, when I first saw that the NHL would be staging multiple outdoor hockey games for its Stadium Series, I was not a big fan of the idea. Now that the games are actually taking place, I love it.

With two of those games taking place this past weekend, over 100,000 hockey fans in total saw it in person. Anything that gets that many people to watch just one regular season game is a good idea.

As for the games themselves, the Anaheim Ducks showed they have no intention of being slowed down by anybody, as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Yes, they played outdoor hockey in L.A., and it was a massive success.

Meanwhile, on the other coast in New York, the Rangers topped the Devils 7-3 in a snowy Yankee Stadium. It’s amazing how if the weather is worse for these outdoor games, people seem to enjoy it more. Well done NHL, I look forward to seeing this series of games continue into the future.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are Heating Up

After a disappointingly slow start to the season, the Blue Jackets are now starting to show us the type of play we were expecting after their season a year ago.

It’s almost the end of the month and Columbus can say they have only lost two games all month. Despite an unexpected home loss to the Sabres on Saturday, they currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division, and hold three games-in-hand to the Rangers who are second. Through their hot streak, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t really been playing up to his levels from a season ago. That’s good news for the Jackets, because if Bobrovsky starts playing like we know he can, this team will only get better.

Size Doesn’t Matter

At just 5ft 5in tall Nathan Gerbe is one of the shortest players in the NHL. But don’t let his size fool you.

In his sixth professional season, he’s on pace for his best year as a pro. This past week, Gerbe posted four points in three games played, and a +3. Pretty good week if I must say so myself.

The stats don’t show his most impressive feat however. On Wednesday night against the Flyers, Gerbe produced a highlight-reel goal that will be considered as one of the best of the year. He went between his legs to score in a fashion most players can only attempt in practice. Plays like this are why people love hockey so much.