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Bolts Keep Eye On Wrigley

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 1, 2009

WASHINGTON - Right around the time Ryan Malone puts his hotel key into the door to his room, his thoughts might drift. About the time Adam Hall finishes his pregame meal, he might try to find a TV.

While the Lightning will attempt to slow the high-flying Capitals tonight, millions this afternoon will be keeping an eye on the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago between the hometown Blackhawks and Red Wings.

For Malone and Hall, they might have more than a casual interest in checking out the scene from the Windy City after each took part in the Winter Classic with the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year's Day last year at Ralph Wilson Stadium, just outside Buffalo.

Last year's game couldn't have been a bigger success, with a large television audience checking out the scene of 78,000 fans sitting outside in the snow watching a hockey game. It was even better in person.

"It was awesome. To be outside and with it snowing last year, it was pretty cool," Malone said.

Playing hockey in the outdoors is a unique experience for today's players. While many have skated on backyard rinks or nearby frozen ponds growing up, being outdoors in a professional or amateur setting is almost nonexistent.

Hall has been fortunate enough to participate in two of them, last year with Pittsburgh and once with Michigan State against rival Michigan. He said the experience can't be matched.

"The atmosphere is just phenomenal," Hall said. "I mean, it's not very often you get the chance to play in front of such huge crowds where there is so much buildup and so much excitement around the game, so it's definitely a lot of fun to be a part of."

While walking down a tunnel from the locker room to the ice is a normal occurrence for any hockey player, the feeling is different while making way toward a makeshift ice surface set up on a football field.

"As we were coming out, you can understand why football players get all jacked up having that many people screaming. You definitely get goose bumps," Malone said.

Added Hall: "You just walk out of that tunnel and it's just incredible, kind of like a distant roar. Then as you walk out you see how much more of the crowd surrounds you. It's so deafening and so loud, then you see the fans bundled up there in the stands and a little bit of snow coming down last year, it was pretty incredible."

Beyond all the excitement, however, there is still a hockey game to be played in an uncontrollable atmosphere. There are elements to be dealt with, such as the continually falling snow last year that led to a delay during play when the Zambonis were brought out to clear the ice.

"There are a lot more elements that come into play when you are outdoors; how bright it is if there is a lot of sun, if there is a lot of snow, the ice conditions, the temperature, the wind. There are so many more things that come into play than I would have imagined," Hall said.

But if this afternoon's game inside the friendly confines of Wrigley Field matches the drama of last year's shootout victory for Pittsburgh - in which Sidney Crosby notched the winning goal - then it will indeed be another classic.

"Either way, it was a great day, especially with Sid in the shootout. The hockey gods probably wrote it that way," Malone said. "It was a great experience and as I look back, I was fortunate to be able to play in a game like that."

And whether Hall is able to catch some of it live this afternoon, catch highlights when he returns home or watches the game in its entirety at a later time, he knows these outdoor games are special.

"I think it's good for the game and it draws a lot of excitement from people who aren't everyday hockey fans," he said. "So I think it's good for the sport and I think most of the players enjoy it and it's a lot of fun all around."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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