The weather turned out great today. Obviously, it was cloudy, but the temperature was great. I felt good out there and it was a really nice time. It was just great to get out there and with all the families and stuff being around and getting to experience this; it made for a fun day.
My family didn't hop on for the skate after practice. I asked them and, of course, being from Canada, they all know how to skate, but they passed. I took some photos with them and whatnot, so it was all good for sure.
It's been great getting to be with my family for this event because I don't get to see them as much during the season. Last night, after the game, we hung out for a while at Bridgestone Arena with everyone for a bit. I just kept it pretty simple, pretty easy for them. It was a great night.
For tonight, I have a dinner reservation with my family. We'll go for dinner at 7:30 p.m. and just kind of take it easy after that. I have to go to bed early, but they'll go do their thing and have some fun. That's why they came down here, to kind of enjoy this whole thing. I just said, 'Hey, make sure you don't make a lot of racket coming back in tonight.'
It was cool walking into Nissan Stadium today and seeing everything. I've been to two football games here. I went to a Titans game last year and I went to the opener this season. The atmosphere is always great for football games. I'm just excited to see what the atmosphere will be like tomorrow. It's not a football field anymore; it's a hockey rink. The show is going to be amazing, and I know the support from our fans will be incredible.
I played in the Winter Classic against the Dallas Stars a few years ago in 2020. But this is Nissan Stadium. It's just big and, you know, it's loud. It's country music and it's going to be so much fun. It was loud in Dallas, but hopefully, we are going to surpass that tomorrow.
They have so many country performers coming in to play before the game and during intermissions. As a player, you don't get to see any of that stuff; it's more for the fans, but it's still exciting. I'm a massive country music fan, so any time I can go hear music live, I'm ready to do that. I'm always looking for those concerts at Bridgestone Arena on our days off, but that doesn't happen too often.
We're really focused on trying to win the game tomorrow. We have to stay focused throughout the day because there's going to be a lot of distractions. I think we will be ready; whenever our team has been challenged, we've responded more times than not.
I can't wait for tomorrow to see how this all looks with all the fans in the stadium and the lights on and how loud it will be. It's going to be an amazing experience and a great memory.
