The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens will get a little taste of what Sunday’s Heritage Classic Game might be like from a weather perspective when they stage their first skates on the McMahon Stadium ice Saturday.
A forecast of somewhere around minus 11 has been submitted for the 4 p.m. joust, which is a long ways from the initial predictions of plus 2.
“I was pretty excited about it (weather) for awhile,” laughed Calgary captain Jarome Iginla, from the middle of a media crush following Friday afternoon’s skate at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “It was plus 2, plus 1, minus 1 and now I hear minus 11 or 10 or something so I’m not quite as excited but maybe it’ll change. If not, we’ll make the most of it.”
Nose icicles are bound to be the order of the day even with heaters at the players’ benches.
“My biggest concern?” repeated Brendan Morrison of the question. “How cold it’s going to be. I had a practice with my son’s team a little while ago and it was only minus 8 but by the end of the hour, my fingertips were frozen so that’s a concern.”
This will be Flames winger David Moss’ third outdoor game and he figures no one will be adding extra layers.
“It’s like those football players you see playing in freezing weather and wearing short-sleeve shirts. You’re in the moment,” he said. “Guys are too picky about how they feel on the ice. I think you’d rather be a little bit cold and feel comfortable rather than feel warm and not feel right.”
Moss suggests it would be wise, however, to change under shirts between periods.
“You’re sweating and then if you go out in the cold weather, you get pretty chilly so you try and put on dry shirts and dry gloves,” he said.
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