Winter Classic just another frigid day at the rink for Wild's Bjugstad

ST. PAUL -- With forecasted temperatures hovering just a touch below zero for Saturday's 2022 Discover Winter Classic at Target Field, it certainly looks like it won't be easy conditions for anyone to play in when the Wild hosts the St. Louis Blues in downtown Minneapolis.
But if there is anyone on the Wild roster that knows how to handle the cold, it's a native Minnesotan. And for Blaine's Nick Bjugstad, playing a game in frigid conditions is actually nothing new.
Once upon a time, Bjugstad played in front of a statewide audience on Hockey Day Minnesota for Blaine High School against Roseau at the 2008 edition of the event, held on Baudette Bay in northern Minnesota.

Until the 2019 event held in Bemidji, Hockey Day Minnesota 2008 was officially the coldest event in the unofficial hockey holiday's history, with game-time temperatures that day hovering around minus-10 degrees, with a wind chill much colder than that.
"We actually billeted with the opposing team the night before, and I remember us waking up and saying, 'I don't know if we're going to be playing,'" Bjugstad said. "They ended up having us play. It was a big deal. I just remember they had these big tubes on the bench] with the heat going through them, and in between shifts, we would just put our hands on it. Sometimes you didn't want to get off that thing."
One of the casualties that day was the feeling in Bjugstad's Blaine teammate Jay Wagamon's feet.
"For a full week, he couldn't feel them," Bjugstad said. "That might have been a bit of a liability, but he ended up being alright."
Another was the heat on Blaine's six-hour bus ride home following a 1-0 loss to a Roseau team that featured NHL Draft picks Aaron Ness and Mike Lee.
Somehow, someway, the team's bus back to the Twin Cities managed to stay on the road despite the presence of two dozen freezing teens and coaches in tow.
"Don't know how we made it home with the conditions," Bjugstad said, a giant smile crossing his lips. "We were all bundling up next to each other on the bus.
"But we still talk about it to this day."
It's those kinds of memories that will power both the Wild and Blues should conditions get any murkier on Saturday night. Of course, players won't have to fight each other for a heated spot on the bench. The access to bench heaters in a Major League facility in downtown Minneapolis is a little better than the middle of a lake straddling the Canadian border.
Plus, Bjugstad said, the concept of being cold completely changes once the puck is down. That's the case whether you're skating for the Blaine Bengals or the Minnesota Wild.
"Once you started to feel the groove in the game, it wasn't too bad," Bjugstad said.
While Bjugstad has plenty of experience playing outdoor hockey in the cold, Saturday's game will provide a bit of an eye opener for rookie forward Brandon Duhaime, a native of Parkland, Fla.
Even though Duhaime played junior hockey in Canada and has spent the past couple of years in Iowa, the game Saturday will mark one of the first times he's ever skated on outdoor ice, much less actually played a competitive game outside.
"I've seen the tweets. Everyone is kind of blowing me up about it," Duhaime said. "My mom, my girlfriend and my sister are panicking about it and they're kind of stressing me out about how cold it's going to be. But everyone is going to be playing in the same conditions about it and they're texting me about how cold it's going to be."
Both of Duhaime's parents are originally from Canada, but moved to Florida in part to get out of the cold. Duhaime said their blood has thinned significantly despite those Canadian roots.
"They moved down to Florida to get out of that weather," Duhaime said. "My mom hates the cold. She keeps it at 76 degrees in the house. She'll have to battle for those three or four hours or so."
When it comes to layering up, Bjugstad said he's pretty finicky about what he puts on under his gear, so there's a good chance he may try to tough it out with nothing more than maybe an extra base layer. Hand warmers in the gloves seemed like a tough sell.
Duhaime said he hasn't put too much thought into it yet, but isn't as stringent when it comes to a routine regarding his gear or what he might add extra under his jersey and breezers.
"I'm sure after that practice [Friday night] if I'm freezing or can't feel my fingers, then I'll layer up," Duhaime said. "But for the most part, I think I'll try and keep it pretty standard for practice and see how it goes."
Ultimately, Duhaime said he's trying to keep the cold off his mind and take in the event and the day itself.
"I'm gonna try to not think about the weather and just enjoy the experience," he said.
Photo by Erin Loughrey
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