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Organizers are confident that the weather will cooperate and the Heritage Classic will be played without delay.
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Mother Nature cooperating
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com
November 20, 2003
It's a safe bet that The Weather Network is currently a staple on the televisions in the offices of the Edmonton Oilers. Weather, more than anything else, will determine the ultimate success of Saturday's Heritage Classic -- the NHL's first outdoor game -- at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. Organizers are confident that the weather will cooperate, so it is more a curious eye than a concerned eye that glances at the updates from The Weather Network meteorologists. Dan Craig, the NHL's ice guru, is in charge of putting together the surface that will host both the afternoon's alumni game between the Edmonton Oilers' MegaStars and the Montreal Canadiens' MegaStars, as well as Saturday's marquee matchup between the current editions of the Oilers and the Canadians. Last week, he explained in detail how he believes the weather will be more than conducive to not only a superior ice surface, but a pleasant atmosphere for all involved. "Right now, we don't see anything in the trend that's coming here in the next 14 days that would even venture us looking (at moving the game)," he said. "Right now, everything is great. It's 40 degrees here; plus 5, plus 6 Celsius. Everybody is going hard and this event is ready to go. We'll be ready to skate (by Wednesday). Related Links
Heritage Classic on TV- on the CBC (HD simulcast), RDS/SRC (Canada)
and NHL Center Ice, HDNet (U.S.) - 4:30 ET
Alumni Game - 7:00 ET
Canadiens vs. Oilers
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Nothing has changed in the ensuing week. Craig and his staff have finished the rink, ensuring it is ready for Friday's four practice sessions for the team's involved in Saturday's showcase. And, the weather forecast, seems to be cooperating with the event. Current forecasts from The Weather Network (www.theweathernetwork.com) call for variable cloudiness with a light wind out of the south for Saturday. The temperature should be between minus-10 and minus-20 Celsius, which is minus-4 to plus-14 Farenheit. There is just a 30-percent "probability of precipitation," which would take the form of snow showers, according to the forecast. According to everyone involved, that forecast is perfectly within the realm of
of acceptable conditions to play the game. Even the chance of snow showers does not raise a concern, says Nick Wilson, the Oilers' Director of Licensing and Merchandising and one of the point people for the project. "You know, we have anticipated that it takes a significant rate of snowfall during an NHL hockey game to undertake extraordinary stoppages in play or extensions of regular stoppages in play," Wilson said. "We have that option available to us. We don't anticipate that it's going to snow at a rate that would prevent us, however, from being able to scrape and shovel as required during regular stoppage of play." In fact, even the players have brushed aside all of the worst-case scenarios raised by the media and the general public. Edmonton captain Jason Smith feels there won't be a problem with the conditions. "If it's a calm, cold day, there won't be any problem playing," he said. And, what if there is a brisk, blustery wind blowing across the Alberta prairie? "Well, we're the home team, so, hopefully, we'll get the wind going with us for two periods just like in football," he laughed.  | |
"If it's cold, it'll be just like when we were kids". -- Raffi Torres
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Raffi Torres, a young player in his second season with Edmonton, also has a good idea what to expect from the elements. "If it's cold, it'll be just like when we were kids," said Torres, with a smile. "You know, freezing ears and runny noses." Even Wayne Gretzky, who will lead the Oilers MegaStars, says he can not foresee a weather situation that would preclude him from taking the ice for a final time Saturday afternoon. "As far as our game goes, and I mean this with all sincerity, even if it was a regular-season game for that group of guys that are playing, we would play if it was 40 below, it wouldn't bother us," said Gretzky, who is playing in his first, and last, old-timers game. "We're ready to play any time even if it was a League game for us 20 years ago we would have played outdoors; that wouldn't have bothered us at all." Additionally, the events organizers have gone out of their way to make sure the players are comfortable while they are outdoors. Special modifications and concessions have been made to ensure that the players stay as warm as possible, especially when they are not skating. "We have a number of plans we are going to develop. We are definitely going to have the infrastructure to heat the benches through temporary heating systems, along with four levels, and the gate level at the players benches," says Wilson. "We have options to extend the Plexiglas over the top, the heads, if we want to contain heat in the players boxes; we have that option that we could pursue. We have the training staffs looking into having different types of things to wear that they could use for cold conditions, extra layers of thermal underwear, perhaps ear or head covers that you can wear." Understanding that weathermen are sometimes wrong and the best-laid plans can go awry, the Heritage Classic organizers still believe they have all the contingencies covered with their ambitious plans.
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