And perhaps even more so this year.
"It's definitely cool when you have that outdoor game to look forward to, knowing you're going to be doing it on a little bigger stage in a week or two," Trevor said. "We all got our little warmup in there."
The number of outdoor games this year actually has created a conundrum for the van Riemsdyk family. With mother Allison remaining home, father Frans headed to Toronto to watch the Maple Leafs and Red Wings play. He will then go on the road with the Maple Leafs as part of the annual fathers' trip the team hosts. Later in the month, Fran will travel to Boston for Brendan's outdoor game.
That means Trevor will be without his parents in St. Louis. But Frans will head to Chicago soon for the fathers' trip there. Plus, Trevor figured that the Blackhawks seem to play outdoors quite a bit, and his parents would get to see the next one. Plus, they already saw the last one, when Trevor played outside in the 2016 NHL Stadium Series game against the Minnesota Wild.
"I'm sure my dad will find a way to be tuned in," Trevor said, of the Winter Classic. "He always is."
For now, though, his family already got to see him play in the fresh air, under the lights, though with a bit less at stake and with a bit less competitive spirit. But it was special all the same.
"It starts to become a little more difficult to have the whole family together, so when you do have them together, you can treasure those times," Frans van Riemsdyk said in an interview that aired on EPIX in the "Road to the NHL Outdoor Classics." "There's nothing like skating outside."