Want to know the best way to get to an outdoor rink? Snowmobile. Or four-wheeler. Either works great.
That's gotta be one of my favorite outdoor hockey memories from when I was a kid. I loaded up my gear with some friends and hopped on the sled to the rink out in the middle of open fields when the snow was coming down pretty good.
Normally I would have to be home by 9 or 10 p.m., but that one night I remember my dad calling me to let me know school was cancelled [the next day]. I was out there until 3 a.m. playing with my buddies.
I'm excited that my dad and friends (and practically my and my girlfriend's entire families) will be here to watch this year's Winter Classic. My buddy is even going to be decked out in a full snowsuit like he's ready to hit a snowmobile trail to the pond. Probably because he and my dad and a few other friends didn't quite make the cut to sit inside in the suite, so they will be bearing the elements outside like the rest of us. (There's only so many tickets to go around!)
I think that's what I'm most looking forward to about Saturday. I got to play in the Winter Classic with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017, ironically against the Blues. But that was in St. Louis, so we were the visiting team. You're stuck in a hotel and you just don't get the same atmosphere as you do when you're at home like we are this year.
I honestly can't even remember if my parents were there in St. Louis for that game. Again, pumped that they will be here for this one.
Honestly there's going to be a lot of different things about this Winter Classic compared to my first that has me excited. First off, looks like I'll be experiencing two types of weather extremes -- rain and freezing cold.
The rain in St. Louis made for some rough ice conditions but I know that crazy cold isn't exactly great either. And in Chicago, yeah it gets cold but it's a livable cold. This cold, negative-20, you don't find that there. That's just another level.
It's gonna be a fight to get to the bench, but man it's gonna be great to warm up there. I still haven't quite figured out what I'm going to wear over my face, but I know I'll wear something. I'm just hoping the wind's not too bad.
We've had 12 days or whatever to prepare for the game, but I don't know if you can ever prepare for that cold. So cold!
But of course I'm pumped for it. Like I said, it's a great experience and this time around, with it being at home, I'm so excited to share that experience with my friends and family.
