Jets hope for positive game on outdoor rink

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This article was published 25/10/2019 (2143 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — Andrew Copp hopes for a bit more bite to the day, while Winnipeg Jets teammate Blake Wheeler prefers similar conditions to the last time he played a meaningful game outdoors.

Be careful for what you wish for, Andrew, because you just might get it — and then some.

The weather forecast for tonight’s 2019 NHL Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames looks positively nasty, folks. The temperature was expected to dip to -4 C, with winds gusting to 40-60 km/h and scattered flurries overnight.

We might see some tuques and balaclavas as the Western Conference rivals collide with two big points on the line.

Three years ago, the outdoor game In Winnipeg had to be pushed back a couple of hours because of blinding sunshine, although the mercury was at a pleasant 10 C when the puck was finally dropped. Wheeler was asked if he’s excited about the prospect of gliding around the temporary rink at the home of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, Mosaic Stadium, amidst the feel of a Prairie winter.

“Are you being serious? I’ll take plus-10,” the Jets captain said late Friday afternoon, following his club’s hour-long practice — a test-run of conditions. It was a vastly warmer day three years ago (the Jets fell to the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in the 2016 Heritage Classic at IG Field) than what pair of clubs hoping to get their A-games going could experience tonight.

“The sun delay (in 2016) was bizarre, that was my memory from that game. Sitting in the room, we’re sitting in the room about ready to go out and we get the news. It’s like, ‘We’re really not playing this game because it’s too sunny out?’ That was pretty funny. But I’ll take plus-10 and calm.”

The Jets (5-6-0) have lost four of their last five outings, while the Flames (6-5-1) have won only twice away from the Scotiabank Saddledome this year. Winnipeg is officially the home club this weekend.

Winnipeg is expected to go with Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes. Hellebuyck is just 4-4-0, but he’s been terrific in all but two starts and has posted a solid stats line: a 2.38 goals-against average and .929 save percentage to go with one shutout.

With plenty of fans huddled around the perimeter of the rink, head coach Paul Maurice ran his troops through some up-tempo drills for half the practice, followed by a mini-scrimmage and a lively shootout that generated plenty of hoots and hollers.

But Copp said there was a method to the light-hearted session.

“It was fun. It was a nice day out, sun beaming into a cool stadium. The ice had something to be desired,” he said. “I think it was a little bit warmer than they expected but I think (today) should be good to go, especially with it cooling back down.”

Copp was with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League in October 2016 and didn’t participate in the open-air at the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. But the 2019 version won’t be his first time on a grand outdoor stage.

“I played a game at Soldier Field (Chicago) in college, so that was really cool. One of the best stadiums in the NFL, in America, and that was an awesome experience for me. And we won the game,” said Copp, who suited up for three years with the University of Michigan Wolverines.

Maurice said there’s a special feel permeating this western Canadian city.

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“You know what, I hope for the people and the fans in Regina that get to see this event, that they get to hone in and remember it. That it’s not so cold that they don’t (enjoy it) and, if it’s going to snow, not so much that we have to get the shovels out too often in the middle,” he said. “I don’t care about the weather, as long as it’s good enough that people coming enjoy the game and we can give them something of a game.

“I’m walking off the ice and there’s a gentleman there with his kid and he’s saying, ‘Oh, my God, that was a great practice.’ My experience would be different on the ice. (The guy is saying) ‘I don’t believe how fast it is.’ People don’t get down to that (ice) level to see it very often and it’s tougher in a stadium, I get that. But I hope the people that come to see this game get to leave it with a great memory and maybe a glimpse of how good these guys are.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell