Heritage Classic stirs outdoor memories for Sabres' Okposo, Mittelstadt

Kyle Okposo and Casey Mittelstadt each have incredible memories of playing hockey outdoors.

It's why the Buffalo Sabres forwards say they are excited for the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Sunday (4 p.m. ET; TNT, TVAS, SN, NHL LIVE).
It will be the third NHL outdoor game for Okposo, and Mittelstadt played an outdoor game in the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, but each said it's an experience that never gets old.
Okposo said he has always thought playing under the sky instead of an arena roof is his sweet spot, a discovery made at an early age growing up around the outdoor rink at Groveland Park in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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"That's where I learned to love the game," the 33-year-old said. "I'd walk there all the time. The warming house would be open most of the time and if it wasn't, there was a little grocery store (Widmer's) that was kitty-corner to the rink and I'd walk over there and grab a hot chocolate or a Powerade and hang out for 15 minutes and go back and skate.
"I'd spend hours and hours out there. My parents would come over to pick me up, but it was a typical hockey story, 'No, give me a few more minutes.' And they'd come back a half-hour later and just say it was time to go. Playing outside is something that I'll never forget and it's truly where I fell in love with the game."
Okposo, who has scored 33 points (15 goals, 18 points) in 51 games this season, played for the New York Islanders in a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers in a Stadium Series game at Yankee Stadium, on Jan. 29, 2014, and had two assists for the Sabres in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers in the Winter Classic at Citi Field on Jan. 18, 2018.
For Mittelstadt, playing outdoors was an integral part of his formative years in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The 23-year-old got his first taste of a major outdoor game when he had three assists for the United States in 4-3 shootout win against Canada in a memorable, snowy WJC outdoor game at New Era Field in Buffalo on Dec. 29, 2017.
"We still talk about it all the time, it was so great," Mittelstadt said. "It ended up being a pretty perfect setting with the snow falling and the fans going crazy and the game going to a shootout, so honestly looking back, it's one of my favorite games I've ever played in, if not my favorite. Such a cool atmosphere and we're already looking forward to another one in Hamilton."

Mittelstadt, who has scored six points (two goals, four assists) in 15 games this season, said that recalling the pressures and distractions of his first competitive outdoor game will help him prepare for the Heritage Classic.
"I remember during that World Junior game, I felt like a kid again, playing outside with the snow falling," he said. "That's the important perspective. When you start feeling like that, you're just comfortable playing hockey and having fun, so more than anything I want to try to get back into that state and really enjoy it. And when you see them enjoying it and you're having fun with your teammates, you're usually playing well."
Okposo doesn't need an NHL event to get the feeling of playing outdoors. He has built a rink in the backyard of his Buffalo-area home for the past three winters. His kids, Elliana, 8, Odin, 5, Livia, 4, and Emmett, who will be 2 in April, love it. Just like their father.
"It's awesome," Okposo said. "I love having it out there. I love going out there and listening to a podcast and shoveling. It's the best when my kids are out there with me and my son [Odin], who's 5, is a hockey fanatic. And my little guy, he loves to go out there just in his boots and he's saying, 'hockey, hockey,' and walking around with his helmet and whacks the puck around. So those are the memories that are special for me.
"And there are times, too, when the kids are sleeping and it'll be snowing and I'll just go out with a shovel and a glass of wine and start shoveling and pick up my stick and play a bit, then have to shovel again. That's a special place out there, something that kind of calms me down and reminds me how much I truly love the game."
Okposo said he's happy for another chance to play outdoors and for the Sabres (18-31-8) and their young players to get the experience of a showcase NHL event.
"The stage that it presents is something that is special in our game," he said. "There aren't very many of these events per year and for our team to kind of showcase ourselves a little bit and play in a game that means something different than just a regular-season game is pretty cool for our younger players," he said. "For me, I'm getting up there in age and who knows how many more cracks you get at this. So anytime you play in a special event like that, you definitely take it."