Outdoor game is great to listen to, not so much to watch
Players had to be pulled off the ice following Friday’s outdoor practice
If you closed your eyes during the Canadiens’ outdoor practice Friday afternoon at Lansdowne Park, the sounds alone were spectacular.
You could hear the skate blades cutting sharply into the ice, the sound of puck hitting stick was so crisp you could feel it, and then there was the loud boom when the puck hit the frozen boards and the clash when it hit the glass.
But when you opened your eyes, the sightlines weren’t very good — to say the least — from the lower-level seats. As media members were trying to figure out the Canadiens’ line combinations, Guillaume LeFrançois of La Presse tweeted them out: “Rouge-Rouge-Rouge Rouge-Rouge-Rouge Blanc-Blanc-Blanc Blanc-Blanc-Blanc/Blanc” It was also bone-chilling cold with a temperature of -11 C and there was dampness in the air. It’s going to be even colder Saturday night when the puck drops for the NHL 100 Classic between the Canadiens and Ottawa Senators (7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690), with a game-time temperature around -16 C (and dropping) and Ottawa Public Health issuing a frostbite advisory.
Still, it probably won’t get as cold as it was for the Heritage Classic on Nov. 22, 2003, between the Canadiens and Oilers at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, when the late-game temperature dropped to-28 C. The Canadiens won the game 4-3 with Montreal goalie José Theodore making a fashion statement by wearing a bleu-blanc-rouge tuque with a pompom on top of his mask.
Carey Price will be wearing a new mask Saturday night made just for this latest “classic,” but don’t look for a tuque on top of it.
“No, that’s his thing,” Price said after Friday’s practice. “I’m not going to rain on his parade.”
Price did make his own fashion statement Friday by wearing a black cowboy hat and jacket when he met with the media.
The NHL realized it was on to a good thing back in 2003 when 57,167 fans paid money to freeze their butts off at Commonwealth Stadium to watch a hockey game from far, far away in a football stadium. Eventually you have to think the novelty of these outdoor “classics” will wear off, but it hasn’t happened yet, with prices for Saturday’s game ranging from $129-$399 on Ticketmaster.
Trust former Montreal Gazette sports columnist Michael Farber to hit the nail on the head yet again when he tweeted Friday: “Once again, hype meets hypothermia.”
Canadiens coach Claude Julien was still wearing his skates when he met with the media in a conference room after practice. Could he still feel his toes?
“My feet were fine out there,” he said. “Sometimes I think we over-exaggerate the coldness. The players were having fun out there.
“As (assistant coach Kirk Muller) and I were talking about, if we wouldn’t have done anything, they could have stayed out there for an hour and scrimmaged. They were having a blast. It’s not as bad as standing out there and watching. The only thing that was cold today was when the players were blowing by you and there was a cold breeze. But other than that it was good.”
Julien has already coached in four outdoor NHL games — including the 2016 Winter Classic when he was behind the Boston Bruins bench on New Year’s Day when they lost 5-1 to the Canadiens in front of 67,246 fans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Price missed that game because of a season-ending knee injury.
“It was pretty disappointing not being able to play in the last one,” Price said. “But I was really happy for Mike Condon to play at home (in Boston). I’m definitely looking forward to this one.”
Price is also looking forward to getting his record above .500 for the first time this season, coming into the game with a 9-9-2
Sometimes I think we over-exaggerate the coldness. The players were having fun out there.
record, a 3.04 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He’ll be making his 10th consecutive start since missing 10 games with a lower-body injury.
Price said the sound is indeed one of the biggest differences in an outdoor game, along with the lighting.
“Your depth perception is a little bit different,” the goalie said. “But you’re still trying to focus on the puck. It’s a little bit of an adjustment. It’s different, but I should be able to adapt and compensate for it . ... The puck is definitely acting a little bit differently. The boards are a little less lively. But other than that, just go play the game. That’s what it’s meant to be. It’s supposed to be fun.
“It’s definitely a cool event to be a part of,” Price added. “It’s a special event being able to take part in. You don’t get too many opportunities to do this, so just take advantage of it and have fun while I’m in it.”
If you’re watching Saturday night’s game live in Ottawa, or at home on TV, close your eyes for a few minutes and just take in the sounds.
It’s might be the most stimulating way to take in the game — if your ears aren’t frostbitten already.