For the last six seasons, the National Hockey League (NHL) has been holding one of their regular season games in an outdoor venue in an attempt to revisit the game’s roots where many players and fans had found their love for the game.

These outdoor games, held on New Year’s Day in football and baseball stadiums have been a hit. The initial game was held in 2004 in New York against the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins and recorded a total of 71,217 fans, a then NHL record for a single game attendance.

With the popularity of the game increasing, the NHL decided to try and capitalize on their newly found goldmine.

Instead of having just one outdoor game this season, the world’s most popular hockey league decided to make a series of it. Along with the Winter Classic, the NHL hosted games in Los Angeles, Chicago and two more in New York City.

Each team donned a new uniform specifically for the occasion with many of the teams recreating an old fashion jersey style.

The game against the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings was the first game of its kind held on the west coast. The game was brought outdoors for the first time at the Dodgers Stadium to a fan base that is one of the fastest growing in the country. The Ducks were able to best the Kings by a score of 3-0.

Two games were then held in the new Yankee Stadium. The New York Rangers played in both, competing against the New Jersey Devils and in-state rival the New York Islanders.

This was the Rangers’ third time moving outside ­— their most recent coming in 2012 when they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizen Bank Park.

The final game of the stadium series will take place on March 1 at Soldier Field — the home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. This game will feature the reigning Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While these games are enjoyable for the fan bases that they are being played in, the NHL should be wary of not overusing a good thing. What has made these games so special in the past is that there has only been one single game; one day during the season where all fans can come together and pretend to be playing on the nearest pond by their house.

If the NHL allows too many of these games to happen throughout the season, they may begin to lose their appeal. But in the end, hockey fans will still flock to watch their favorite teams.