My parents couldn't afford to put me in hockey, so I lived at the flooded lagoon in Marlborough Park during winters when I was growing up. I remember one winter as a young adult, the Flames even sent some guys to skate with the neighbourhood kids on that pond. Fred Brathwaite and someone else, maybe Clarke Wilm? Outdoor hockey is pretty much all I knew. Naturally, it would be a shame to lose that.
I read Larry Robinson's autobiography years ago... he spent his formative years enjoying the outdoor hockey more than the organized stuff. I can't think of other specific examples, but I'm sure I've heard this with many other NHLers.
The NHL has always been a bit of a follower in the arena of sports leagues, but kudos to them for showing some leadership on this, not only for the sports leagues but for business at large. I don't know how much impact they can really have in terms of their own operations, but their influence on the way people think of these things can be huge.
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