The whole novelty of the NHL’s outdoor games is the variability. It’s the quirks — of the weather, of the rinks, of the sight lines, of the hype — that make the outdoor games different and fun. So even if the Winter Classic in St. Louis is somehow played on Monday in between spurts of rain, or if it gets delayed a few hours, or even if it gets pushed a day because of the weather, the Blackhawks feel they can handle it.
“You never really know,” Jonathan Toews said. “Even if the conditions are next to perfect, it’s still different than being in an arena. We’ll be ready for whatever, and I think that’s part of it. That’s part of what’s fun about it.”
Easy for Toews to say. This is a guy who skated three-quarters of the length of the rink and dangled his way to a highlight-reel goal through a half-inch of snow in frigid temperatures at Soldier Field in 2014. In fact, he’s the NHL’s all-time leading scorer in outdoor games, with two goals and four assists in four games.
And that’s always been part of the Hawks’ built-in advantage for outdoor games. In theory, at least. The Winter Classic at Busch Stadium will be the fifth outdoor game for their longtime veterans. It’s the third Winter Classic (Wrigley Field in 2009 and Nationals Park in 2015) and it’s the fourth straight year they’ve played outside (Soldier Field in 2014, Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium last season).
Even some of the Hawks’ rookies have been there, done that. Vinnie Hinostroza played in last year’s game at Minnesota, and Tyler Motte played college games at Comerica Park in Detroit and at Soldier Field.
“It’s always exciting getting involved in an outdoor game, even though they’ve become more popular in recent years,” Motte said. “It’s not a new concept for me, but playing in one on this stage, at this level, definitely will be exciting.”
The Hawks have dealt with cold and with snow and with sun glare in their previous outdoor games. This year, they’ll have to contend with something more troubling — a slump. They’ve lost four of their last five games and watched as their Central Division lead all but disappeared thanks to the scorching-hot Wild. Given that, their opponent, and their 1-3-0 record outdoors — including last season’s lopsided 6-1 loss to Minnesota — and the Winter Classic is more than just a novelty. It’s a suddenly meaningful game in the middle of the regular season.
“Last year against Minnesota, we weren’t too happy with that effort,” Toews said. “You just look at the last number of outdoor games that we’ve played, our record hasn’t been that great. We can look at it that way and add to the fact that they’re big points for us within our division with St. Louis and Minnesota really close to us. We obviously want to start getting on the winning trend again.”
Despite all their experience and all the jokes in hockey circles about how often the Hawks play outside — after this season’s slate, seven teams will still be waiting for their first chance — the cool-factor hasn’t worn off. It’s still only once a year, and players still look forward to the break in their monotonous regular-season routine.
“It’ll be my first one, so I’m really excited for it,” said Ryan Hartman, who missed one at Comerica with his junior team three years ago because he was playing in the World Juniors. “It’ll be fun. Hopefully, it’s not too grueling with the weather, and hopefully we get a nice day. I know I’m excited, and I’m sure all the young guys are, too.”
The older guys, too. Even the oldest guy.
“It’s definitely an exciting moment, and a fun game for everyone,” Joel Quenneville said. “We know the importance playing St. Louis, and the importance of points at the end of it. There’s a lot going on for that game. We’re looking forward to it.”
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
Twitter: @marklazerus
