As the Frozen Tundra Classic at Lambeau Field between Wisconsin and Ohio State approached, at least two members of the Avalanche – defensemen Patrice Brisebois and John-Michael Liles – had reason to be curious about how the game would come off.
Saturday’s game was the third outdoor stadium hockey game played in North America. On Nov. 22, 2003, Brisebois had two assists in the Montreal Canadiens’ 4-3 victory over Edmonton in the Heritage Classic before 57,167 frigid fans at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.
Liles played for Michigan State in a 3-3 tie against Michigan in front of a world-record crowd of 74,554 at East Lansing’s Spartan Stadium on Oct. 6, 2001. The Spartans’ goalie was Ryan Miller, now with the Buffalo Sabres.
“It dropped down to 30 degrees for the game, and it was pretty much perfect,” Liles recalled. “It’s funny when you feel the wind in your face when you’re not skating and your jersey is flapping when you’re not moving.
“(Mike) Modano’s jersey flaps when he skates, but nobody else’s really does. And then all of a sudden you’re out there in the middle of the ice, and your jersey is flapping, and you’re thinking, ‘Geez, this is unbelievable.’
“It was the best ice we played on all year, it was so hard. It was chippy, but it was hard and really fast, so it was great. The whole thing was like a carnival, with concerts and a ton of stuff going on. There were fireworks and then during the game, Ryan Miller wore eye-black, and we tied it up with something like 40 seconds left and the place went absolutely bonkers. I just sat back after the game, I was so drained emotionally.”
The 2010 Frozen Four is scheduled to be played at Detroit’s Ford Field, the indoor stadium that is home to the NFL’s Detroit Lions and that recently played host to the Super Bowl.
Boston College and Boston University are trying to arrange a doubleheader for Fenway Park next season, but there are hurdles to clear.
The Oilers-Canadiens game was more controversial in the sense that frigid temperatures at the Heritage Classic seemed to threaten whether the game would be played. The enduring memory is of Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore wearing a toque, or stocking cap, over the top of his mask as his breath came in cloudy bursts.
The teams stocked propane heaters on the benches to fight the bitter cold.
“It was something amazing,” Brisebois said. “It was minus-16 Celsius at the start and minus-28 (18 below, Fahrenheit) at the end. When you were skating, you could hear the ice. But if they asked me to do it again, I’d do it again.”
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-820-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
