HERITAGE CLASSIC
Flames to face Jets today
Cam and Kelly Talbot’s twins, Landon and Sloane, were only four days old when he was the Edmonton Oilers starting netminder in the last Heritage Classic.
They just turned three-years-old a week ago.
And they’re pumped.
“We took them to get skates (earlier this week),” said Talbot, now a member of the Calgary Flames. “So, they were excited about that. They understand a bit now and they know they get to go on an airplane and ‘See Dada hockey.’ They’re excited to go out and skate.”
They’re not the only ones. While Landon and Sloane — and the other family members of the Calgary Flames organization — tested out the newly laid ice at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium after Friday’s practice sessions were over, their dad, the rest of his team and the Winnipeg Jets square off Saturday (8 p.m. MT, CBC, Citytv, Sportsnet One).
Talbot and Flames’ starting netminder David Rittich will be dressed for the occasion.
Talbot has Trevor Kidd-inspired pads that he wore on Friday night which was, by Canadian standards, a balmy fall evening.
Rittich’s attire — old school brown imitation-leather pads — were also on full display Friday.
Mark Giordano and Mikael Backlund are the only two members of the Flames left over from the 2011 team that beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 at Mcmahon Stadium.
“The atmosphere is great, there’s no doubt,” said the Flames captain. “It’ll be nice that it’s a bit warmer. But I think the league has come a long way. The ice is way better from watching games. They do a good job with the lead-up to games.
“I think the crowd will be split. So, that’s a little bit different. It’s fun to be a part of it, for sure.”
Because this is how they all grew up. On a sheet of ice. Stars in the sky. Gloves and stick in hand.
All that is missing is Mom or Dad calling them in for dinner.
“It brings back a lot of memories,” said Michael Frolik, baring fond memories of skating with his brother and father on a lake in
Kladno, Czech Republic. He does the same now with his daughters and wife during the holidays.
“At Christmas time, we always went on and played against each other boys. We’d always scrape the ice and that’s where I learned,” said Frolik.
In theory, the ice should be better than the 2011 game. A wind chill of minus-17 Celsius forced ice crews to break out the hoses and spray the ice — old-school-style — instead of running a Zamboni or Olympia over the top. At the game in 2016, it was a pleasant 10 degrees and sun glare ended up being the problem, delaying puck drop by two hours.
“Usually the ice is not great, but it depends on the weather,” Frolik said. “I don’t know what the prediction is. If it’s cold it should help the ice, but we might be a little bit cold. But it’ll be the same for both teams and hopefully, we get the better of it.”
Flames head coach Bill Peters was part of the Detroit Red Wings coaching staff when they played the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1 at Ann Arbor, Mich., before 105,491 fans at Michigan Stadium, or the Big House.
The weather made things interesting.
“I remember practising outdoors prior to the game in Ann Arbor and it was virtually impossible,” he said. “The wind and the sun, how bright it was. The goaltenders had the eye black on. Couldn’t see. Guys skating into the wind were struggling and the guys going the other way were flying. Hip flexors and groin (injuries) come into play there, so we had to shorten practice up. So, all of those things come in ... it’s different, but it’s fun to be a part of.”