RICHMOND, Va. -- To risk sounding utterly spoiled rotten, I’m generally not a huge fan of the Penguins in outdoor games. Sure, they’re fun and different, but it’s just too much pressure for a regular-season game, and the losses always leave me feeling as if it was all just a colossal waste of time.

Blame it on PTSD surrounding the 2011 Winter Classic, no doubt, as excited as I’ve ever been for a simple 2-point matchup, only to have things go so horribly wrong and for the game to have such dire and lasting effects.

Now, if it’s not my team in the matchup, well, that’s a different story.

I had the good fortune of being able to attend the Stadium Series game in Raleigh last weekend, and the atmosphere was just nuts. I don't know what you dear readers' experiences have been with outdoor games, but there was absolutely a feeling among the crowd that, thanks to the NHL being in charge of the event rather than the Hurricanes or N.C. State, NOBODY had any idea what they were doing or what was going to happen. Parking was a mess and completely out of control … it took our party two hours to drive less than a mile from the highway exit to the entrance to the stadium complex. And once we got in, it was a free for all, with people simply swinging into any open spot they could find. 

Still, all that said, the pregame was an amazing atmosphere, with thousands of tailgaters preparing all manner of food and having a great time. Another disorganized mess followed as we filed into the stadium, but once I cleared that gauntlet, our seats were perfect. And the game even managed to be fairly entertaining! I would absolutely do it again.

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ROB ULLMAN / DKPS

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