By Justin Orlewicz (Hockey Writer) – Email
The Winter Classic has become a huge event in the United States, and after going eight years without, Canada finally got its own outdoor game. Again, Alberta was the host province for the game, but this time in Calgary, at McMahon Stadium. Instead of choosing a rival like the Canucks to faceoff against the Flames, the NHL decided to go with the Montreal Canadians. At first the decision to go with the Montreal Canadians didn’t sit well with me, but after digging a little deeper, I realized these two franchises have some serious history that dates back to the 1986 Stanley Cup finals. The two teams met twice in the Stanley Cup finals during the last half of the 80s, with both teams coming away with a Stanley Cup win.
I had seen the American version of the outdoor game in Pittsburgh, but this one was called the Heritage Classic, meaning that it was our celebration as Canadians of the outdoor game. The name was given to the event because that’s where hockey began for Canadians, on an outdoor rink. That was all the convincing I needed to attend this game, even if I was going as a member of the media. I immediately contacted the Heat and got the appropriate contacts to get the credentials I needed to be a part of the celebration of our heritage.
A week later I found myself in minus -20°C Calgary weather. I figured if I was going to do this trip, it would have to be done right. The Fairmont was full, but it wasn’t the right option anyway. The Ramada, on the other hand, was just down the road and was one of the last big-name hotels in Calgary to still offer smoking rooms – essential when writing a good piece. I barely had enough time to check into my room before I had to hail a cab and stumble my way into McMahon stadium.
By the time I arrived at the stadium, it was already turning into a zoo of Canadian media personalities, with possibly a few from the Versus network in the States. It was irrelevant. I was there to accomplish five things: attend both practices, inspect the terrace surrounding the ice rink, talk to P.K. Subban and Mikael Backlund, and I definitely had to catch the alumni game as well. This was going to be a busy day.
Two of the players I talked to last season in the AHL were going to be playing in this game. When I found Suban and Backlund available, I asked them how it felt to not only make the NHL but play in the Heritage Classic, considering they were playing in the AHL this time last year. Subban’s positive attitude played a key role in his transition: “Everything happened so quickly in terms of the way I left the AHL, I didn’t really get to say any goodbyes, I kind of just got thrown into the NHL and since then it’s been a lot of fun. I just take everything in stride, and I haven’t had time to reflect on anything that has happened so far, but I think I am better off that way and just enjoying the experiences as they come.” Backlund, caught up in the moment, was also positive about his jump to the big leagues: “I am really excited; you know it was a great feeling being out there today and just skating around.”
By the time media day was coming to a close, the main topic of the day was the condition of the outdoor ice surface – it was Pittsburgh all over again, only the reverse problem. In Pittsburgh it was too warm, and now in Calgary too cold. Flames captain Jerome Iginla felt the ice situation was only a slight concern. “It was alright,” he said. “It had a couple of spots but overall it was pretty good. In a perfect world it could have been a little warmer.” After speaking with outdoor ice rink guru Dan Craig at the end of the day, I was confident that the game would go off without a hitch – just like every other outdoor game that the NHL has put on. “We monitor everything,” he said. “Everybody on the crew has an assignment, make sure everybody stays on assignment, so that I don’t have to be in 15 places at the same time.” Craig did hope the weather would cooperate, though: “We are going to have a good turnout tomorrow, hopefully Mother Nature is not going to take a day off and the hockey gods will be there.” Despite a few minor problems, the master of ice used all his tricks to make the ice better than a handful of indoor rinks in the NHL. He even used hoses instead of Zamboni’s to refresh the ice after every skate, a method so simple that most backyard rinks in Canada use it.
After talking with Craig, I went up to the heated press box to watch the Alumni game. I realized afterward that to really enjoy an outdoor game, you have to watch it outside. Luckily, I would be sitting in the freezing cold with the real fans for the actual game. The following day I layered myself with as much clothing as possible and joined the crowd of 40,000 outside to watch our Heritage game unfold. The Canadian Snowbirds flew over the stadium as our anthem was played and it was game on. The game went off without a hitch, and despite the lopsided score in favour of the home team, the Montreal fans were still having just as much fun as the Calgary fans. By the time the final buzzer went, we had witnessed the first ever shutout in an NHL outdoor game, with the Flames winning 4-0. We don’t need these outdoor games to know that hockey is a huge part of our heritage, but after last Sunday, it truly did solidify that, regardless of the venue; hockey is our heritage and it always will be.
