Outdoor games have lost their novelty

Outdoor game fatigue. It's a condition that afflicts many, because there can be too much of a good thing.

By the time March rolls along, 15 regular-season games will have been played outside since Jan. 1, 2014. About 10 too many. Winter Classics. Heritage Classics. The Stadium Series. Even a Centennial Classic. What was once an occasion has become commonplace. What was once special has become routine.

One outdoor game per season is enough.

New Year's Day Tradition

The NHL got the Winter Classic right. Nailed it, in fact.

The first edition was played Jan. 1, 2008, five years after the league experimented with an outdoor game - the first Heritage Classic - in frigid Edmonton.

The Pittsburgh Penguins faced the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The best hockey player on the planet, Sidney Crosby, scored the game-winning goal in the shootout - as snow fell and swirled around the rink. It was perfect.

The next three outdoor games were also played Jan. 1, at iconic Wrigley Field in 2009, legendary baseball cathedral Fenway Park in 2010, and Heinz Field in 2011.

Tradition was born. On Jan. 1, to ring in the new year, you watch hockey while nursing a hangover.

Overload

The NHL got outdoors-happy in 2014. After the Winter Classic, the Stadium Series saw three outdoor games played in five days in January, with another two - the latter another Heritage Classic - on March 1 and 2. Six outdoor games in 61 days. Novelty over.

Two more in 2015, three more in 2016 (including Sunday's Heritage Classic), and another three in 2017. When stadiums are hosting their second outdoor contest - Heinz Field will Feb. 25, 2017 - we've reached Peak Outdoor Games.

Rinse, Repeat

The league's desire to tap into this well is understandable. The games generate publicity, which the NHL needs in an ever-crowded sports market. Outdoor game uniforms, alumni games, time-lapse videos of baseball and football stadiums being turned into hockey rinks - it's fun. That over 105,000 people filled The Big House in Michigan for the 2014 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs was unbelievable to be a part of and see on television.

Moving forward, though, these games need to be saved for special occasions, and special occasions only. The Winter Classic, as noted, is tradition. It should stand apart. And the Centennial Classic in Toronto is the perfect way to celebrate 100 years of Maple Leafs hockey. Use the outdoor games to celebrate hockey, not shove it down people's throats.

Each Original Six franchise has played outdoors. The Penguins - and Crosby - and Chicago Blackhawks will endure the elements in 2017 for the fourth and fifth time, respectively. Alex Ovechkin's played in two. Once Sunday's game is in the books, and the Winnipeg Jets get their dance, each Canadian team will have played at least one game outside.

Mission accomplished. It's time to scale back and make the outdoor game one to look forward to again.