The Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals are preparing to square off at the U.S. Naval Academy in what should be a cold one in Annapolis, Maryland.
Stephen Whyno of The Star reported that winds for the game could reach 50 km/h and drop to -30. Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Mitch Marner admitted that “it’s going to suck skating into the wind.”
Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin shared his thoughts on playing in the cold, and reminded fans that he endured windy conditions while playing as a kid. He then jokingly proposed the idea of his dad sending him his old childhood hockey videos as a reminder of what it was like.
When you grow up playing in Russia’s frigid winter conditions, we guess you can play through anything.
The Leafs and Caps aren’t the first teams to play through some relatively cold weather over the past year. At the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, Canada took on the USA at New Era Field in conditions that ranged around -8 celcius. Not terrible, but still a bitter cold.
Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images
It’s also hard to feel bad for the players when you consider NFL athletes regularly hit the field in similar conditions. Pittsburgh and Green Bay aren’t exactly the warmest places come winter time.
The puck drops tonight at 8 PM Eastern Time and you can bet the players will be bundled up in all sorts of layers. Ovy might be the one exception, though.
(H/T r/Hockey)
