1:35PM… With a mix of sun and clouds and the temperature around 33 degrees, the Buffalo Sabres have taken to the ice for their outdoor practice in preparation for tomorrow’s Winter Classic. Defenseman Brian Campbell led the team on the ice, all the players wearing their classic Sabres blue and gold jerseys. After several minutes giving the surface a feel, the players switched to their practice jerseys and commenced their paces.

Here’s an interesting factoid … the goaltenders for both teams have experience playing in large scale outdoor hockey games.Ryan Miller played for the Michigan State Spartans in the 2001 “Cold War” at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Miller started in goal that day, allowing three goals on 22 shots in 64:43 of playing time. He also earned an assist. Said Miller, “I think that cold does a lot more to you than you thin. Get one ofn those survival books, figure out what guys do to stay alive in the wild, I guess. You can get dehydrated very quickly in the wind and the cold, just the same way you can if it’s hot out. So you have to be aware of that, try and stay as warm as possible, get the core temperature up.”

Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin was the starting goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2003 Heritage Classic, allowing 4 goals on 23 shots in the 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Conklin added “Normally, I just wear long underwear underneath, but I had a full-body neoprene suit. It was an eighth inch, maybe three-sixteenth, thick like a diving suit. It did the trick. I wasn’t nearly as cold as I thought I was going to be.”

(Player quotes courtesy NHL Media)

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