Martin, Cizikas and Nelson Remember Yankee Stadium Game

The New York Islanders and New York Rangers are heading back outside, when the two teams compete in the NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 18 at MetLife Stadium.

It's not the first time the arch-rivals have played an outdoor game, last meeting on Jan. 29, 2014, when they turned Yankee Stadium, one of baseball's iconic venues, into a makeshift rink.

The Islanders may have lost the game 2-1, but to this day, it remains a career highlight for those who played in it.

"Those are the types of games and the types of memories that you hold on to forever," Matt Martin said.

The setting of Yankee Stadium was important to the spectacle, but for the Islanders, who were the "home" team, getting to use the Yankees locker room was a perk.

"Walking around their locker room and seeing the old scale that they've had forever and pictures of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter all those guys was an experience I'll never forget," Martin said.

Cool is one word to describe the Stadium Series. Cold is another. The temperature hovered around 21 degrees at the time of puck drop, though the wind chill added some extra nip.

"That was probably one of the colder times we've had in New York in a while," Brock Nelson said. "As a player that brings back a lot of childhood memories of skating outside, playing outside and enjoying the game in its purest form."

To combat the cold, the league installed heaters on the benches. Nelson said it was a good incentive to keep shifts shorter.

"It would be funny to go back in time and see if shift times were a little shorter with guys getting back to bench to warm up a bit," Nelson said.

The heated bench was not an option for goalie Evgeni Nabokov who had to get creative in order to stay warm. Nabokov, who sported an Islanders beanie over his helmet, discovered handwarmers as a result of the outdoor game and some secret sauce on top of the net.

"I think Nabby probably had hot lemon water back there instead of a traditional water bottle, so it wouldn't freeze and stay hydrated," Nelson said.

The scope of the crowd also stands out to those who have played in outdoor games. There's no replicating the feeling of walking out to the rink in front of 45,000 screaming fans, let alone the 75,000 that will pack MetLife Stadium. The best time to take it in is during the long walk from the locker rooms to the ice.

"It is quite a hike," Casey Cizikas said. "When you walk onto the field, you're amped up, you're ready to go and you know how big of an opportunity this is to play in front of that many people. It's fun. That's the best way I can put it you're amped up you're ready to go. It's an incredible feeling walking on that."

Cizikas was still in his second full season with the team when they played at Yankee Stadium, so there's a different appreciation for playing his second outdoor game as a veteran.

"I was a lot younger back then and I think I'm going appreciate it more now," Cizikas said. "You don't get these opportunities too often, so maybe I was a little spoiled when I was younger and got one pretty early."

Same goes for Nelson and Martin, who will be playing in his third outdoor game after getting an additional one with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017. As big a spectacle as the Yankee Stadium game was, the increased capacity at MetLife Stadium should make the 2024 game even bigger.

"I've been lobbying for that for a long time," Martin said. "I've been to concerts and football games at MetLife and just seemed like it'd be an unbelievable experience for us as players for a hockey game against our rival, so I'm pumped. I know my friends and family and fanbase are excited as well. It's going to be pretty amazing."