A handful of Kings, including Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Drew Doughty, wore eye black, and the wind blew leaves onto the playing surface and snow off the ice and into the players' faces.
"I played on an outdoor rink growing up, so it was very similar, especially when the wind hit you," Brown said. "It brings back old memories."
The scrimmage was rife with trash talking, and when Gaborik scored the game-winning goal, his teammates poured off the bench and mobbed him to celebrate as if they'd won a game in overtime.
"I think we did a good mix of getting some important drills in early just to get something out of it," Kuemper said. "After that it was good team bonding to have a little competition like that."
The practice added one more element to the unique season for Los Angeles, which leads the Pacific Division in Stevens' first season back as coach. The Kings played in the NHL China Games presented by O.R.G. Packaging against the Vancouver Canucks in September.
"So far this year, we've been a pretty tight group, and it's fun to do little things like this," forward Tyler Toffoli said. "Obviously, going to China at the start of the year was a big trip, but this is another one of those things where we come together and have fun."
There's only one thing Stevens wished was different.
"I was hoping it'd be a little bit colder, but it was fine," he said.