Five Off-Season Events Involving NHL Players That Must Return

From NHL teams playing softball to the research and development camp, a few cool events should be brought back for summer fun and growing the game.

For the most part, the summer months of the hockey world are pretty quiet as we enjoy the warmth until training camps open. In years prior, though, off-seasons were a little more interesting. The time away didn't always mean the competition was over between NHL teams and players.

Let's look at a few events that have been part of the hockey calendar in the warmer months. 

NHL players taking part in softball games isn't unusual. We see it pretty often every off-season, but the players are usually mixed in with other athletes and celebrities on the teams. What we don't see anymore are NHL teams facing off in softball during the summer. In the 1980s, a few teams did this after the Stanley Cup was awarded. 

The New York Islanders used to be very active on the diamond in the 1980s, taking on various softball teams of all shapes and sizes. They even squared off against other NHL teams – in 1980, they took on the Philadelphia Flyers, and in 1982, they played the New York Rangers at Shea Stadium before a New York Mets game. 

The Islanders had many players who were quite adept at the sport, with the two standouts being Clark Gillies and Bob Bourne, who both spent time playing baseball in the Houston Astros' farm system in the 1970s.

Softball also reached the Battle of Alberta. In 1981, the Calgary Flames beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 as part of the Sports Page Celebrity Softball Classic held in Edmonton. They played in honor of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope, with proceeds going toward the Canadian Cancer Society. 

A modern-day return at Re/Max Field in Edmonton might sell out within minutes. 

Every so often, we hear about rule changes being discussed in the NHL, from bigger nets to changes to penalties, replays, and many other elements of the game. For a brief period of time in the mid-2000s and 2010s, the league actually played out how some of the more drastic rule changes could look in a game situation. 

The NHL held scrimmages in 2005 and the early 2010s with draft prospects just outside of Toronto, who would play under various rules that the league wanted to see tested. The rules ranged from ones that would eventually be implemented, such as 3-on-3 overtime and hybrid icing, to some more radical ideas, including line changes only being permitted on the fly and hand passes being allowed in all zones of the ice. 

With discussions on everything from offside reviews, pucks over the glass and more, why not bring back the camp to trial topics that have come up in the game recently? The camp should also take another step and live broadcast what the NHL is trying to improve upon on national television. 

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As it stands, it doesn't sound like there will be a 2023 summer edition of one of hockey's coolest off-ice gatherings. Smashfest, a table tennis event led by Dominic Moore, became a staple on the off-season calendar for the past decade. Table tennis has been one of the favorite games to play in dressing rooms, and Smashfest unified members from across hockey to truly see who was the best at the game.

First launched in 2012, the event has also always been open to the public and held in Toronto at the Steam Whistle Brewery, except for the 2021 event, which was held in Connecticut. One of the biggest storylines with every event was if someone could knock Patrick Eaves off of his throne. Eaves was the king of the players' singles event, taking home five titles. 

Here's hoping that if it doesn't end up happening, Smashfest returns in 2024. 

If you're from a certain generation, you clearly remember what the television show Superstars was all about. Superstars aired off and on from the 1970s to the 2000s, and it pitted the best athletes in the world against each other in events from outside their own sports. While the show may have aired for over four decades, its height came in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Superstars had programs for athletes worldwide, and NHL players were involved in many versions. Wayne Gretzky, Lanny McDonald, and Dennis Potvin, to name a few hockey examples, took part in the series and competed against legends in basketball, baseball, soccer, and football. Some sports they played included weight lifting, bowling, a mile-long bike race and a 100-meter sprint. 

The latest revival of the show was cancelled in 2009, but for the social media era and the world of viral trends, a 2023 version might be something to bring back. Cale Makar or Connor McDavid in a kayak race against Steph Curry and Lamar Jackson would be a sight to behold.  

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In the 1970s and 1980s, NHLers used to take part in a 1-on-1 skills competition on a show that preceded the NHL all-star skills competitions. The competitions were filmed during the summer and aired throughout the season. Players took part in shootouts as well as stickhandling and skating events. Darryl Sittler, Rick MacLeish, Mike Bossy, and Wayne Gretzky are some of those who took part.

While the all-star skills competitions have replaced this, maybe there could be a twist in a Showdown revival. NHL players could go up against players from other leagues worldwide in different skills to make it more of a global series. Even still, the IIHF could consider filming this during the World Championship.