Every detail in place to make Flames’ Heritage Classic experience magical
The Calgary Flames are going to be in enemy territory on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
So for Mark Depasquale, that means making the visiting Canadian Football League dressing room feel like home. Because as much as the 2019 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic against the Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet One, City, Sportsnet 960 The Fan) is just another game, another two points, the Flames’ equipment manager wants to make this memorable; just like it was for him, and the players and coaching staff who were involved in the Flames’
2011 game at Mcmahon Stadium.
No stone is left unturned and details matter.
“It’s probably going to look too decorated,” Depasquale said. “But it’s an experience guys will remember. So, we try to make it an experience for everyone.”
That means old-timey locker-room signs and nameplates that Depasquale specially worked with a company, along with the NHL, to create. New white equipment bags to match the Flames’ white retro jerseys which, he thinks, “are going to be one of the best jerseys out there.”
White toiletry bags to match. White skate guards with the date on them. Eye blacks with the Flames’ logo.
Custom skate mats, too.
As for the coaches — they have to look the part too, right?
Depasquale sat down with Bill Peters and the rest of the staff to discuss their options, showing them pictures of all of the previous outdoor games. While the NHL usually supplies vintage-looking letterman jackets, a popular option for head gear in the previous four Heritage Classic games were fedoras. Brent Sutter wore one in 2011; Mike Babcock, as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, wore a fedora in two outdoor games.
And that’s what they settled on — despite protests.
“Tree (Flames GM Brad Treliving) wanted cowboy hats and trench coats,” Depasquale said. “So, we were going back and forth. At the end of the day, the coaches have to wear them so, I don’t even know if Tree knows, but we’re not wearing cowboy hats.”
It’s all in the details for Depasquale, who was tasked with the seemingly impossible task of preparing the Flames for their pre-season trip to China last fall and the 2011 outdoor game staged just down Crowchild Trail at Mcmahon Stadium.
“We have everything,” he said. “Last time we were there, we probably overdid it. When we went to China, I prepared for the worst. But because we did, it prepared us for Customs.
“We might still be sitting in China with the gear. All of the stuff I thought was a waste of time, or too much, it all worked out … the hard part is getting it done. We land (in Regina), we have a team picture, we practice, we have a family skate. And then most of the stuff, we just have to see what the weather is, right? You never know.”
Ah, Mother Nature.
At press time Friday, The Weather Network’s online forecast called for a mainly cloudy Saturday in Regina, with a high of 0 C (and -7 C at night) with expected northwest wind gusts of 46 km/h. This was a marked contrast from the balmy mid- to high teens temperatures the team encountered upon its arrival just before practice time Friday.
Their biggest issue, Depasquale said, would be if it rained. Snow or cold weather is manageable with propane heaters on the bench.
There are hand warmers and extra, well, everything to replace items if players need to change things every period. There are glove warmers beside the bench. Skate sharpeners, if needed, although skates are so sophisticated now that blades are replaceable.
Not the case back in 2011. Depasquale recalled when former Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff took his first step on the ice.
“It went all the way down to the cement,” he said.
The walk from the dressing room to the ice surface can also be painful.
“Because you don’t know what kind of stones are on there,” Depasquale said. “You don’t want guys taking their skate guards off. “You name it, we got it, really.”
The NHL knows what they’re doing, too.
The league has done this 27 times and, following Saturday’s game, will orchestrate another two more events this year.
The Dallas Stars host the Nashville Predators in the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1 and the Colorado Avalanche face the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 NHL Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium on Feb. 15.
The difficult aspect of this game — from Depasquale’s logistics perspective — is the Flames will turn around and depart Regina for Raleigh, N.C. to continue their longest road swing of the year.
They’ll play the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Nashville Predators on Halloween night, Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 2, and Washington Capitals on Nov. 3.
Meaning they’ll need two sets of jerseys — their retro whites and red pants and normal whites and black pants.
“If we were playing one or two games after, I probably could have called the league and asked if we could continue wearing that stuff,” he said. “But to be out for another week, it didn’t make sense to switch it all.”
That means he and his team of
Corey Osmak and Ben Dumaine will have to account for their normal road attire and switch back the decals on their helmets from the Heritage Classic stickers, among a laundry list of other things.
And, speaking of helmets … Depasquale heard the Jets were outfitting each player with two helmets — one with a tinted visor and one without.
“This game is at 8 p.m. where our last game was at 4 p.m.,” Depasquale said. “Everyone wore visors to start — or at least had that option … you never know if there’s going to be a glare. But we just don’t have the manpower to switch back and forth.”
Yes, everything has been taken care of — right down to the potential of a call-up. Depasquale has someone on standby in case they have to stitch a name on the back of a jersey.
“The elements of surprise,” said Depasquale with a chuckle. “The last game, it was supposed to be plus-5 C and overnight it turned to minus-20 C. You prepare for the worst. You just hope you don’t need it.”