You need to see it to believe it.
Peter DeBoer said those words after the Vegas Golden Knights coach put the team into a fun and lively practice ahead of the game on Friday at the makeshift NHL rink built atop the 18th fairway at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, a first-rate shot. Lake Tahoe with Sierra Nevada in the distance.
“I think the photos, as beautiful as they are, don’t do it justice,” said DeBoer. “I grew up in Canada and I know anywhere in the northeastern United States or Minnesota, wherever they can build outdoor rinks, there is always a street competition whose dad can build a better rink. Every year you come back, and someone adds lights or a scoreboard. This is an external microphone-type rink. It’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. “
DeBoer’s mouth wasn’t the only one that fell when the Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche first skated on the rink that will host them at Bridgestone NHL Outdoors Saturday (3 pm ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS).
“Hard to describe, really,” captain of the Avalanche Gabriel Landeskog said.
Vegas Captain Mark Stone said, “The view from the mountain is incredible. With those big trees around the rink, they did a great job making everything look really rustic with the wood panels. That really goes back to the old school rinks outdoors. probably the best outdoor track you’ve ever seen. “
This was not just lip service. The players and coaches of both teams did their best to live it too, to get the most out of the experience, arriving early at the rink and staying on the ice until the final seconds of their allotted time passed.
Video: 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe time-lapse
Vegas practiced first at 10 am local time. Avalanche hit the ice at about 11:30 am.
“I think a good example was that we had an early workout today and we had two buses in motion and I think there were only three or four guys waiting for the second bus,” says Vegas. Reilly Smith said. “Everyone was so excited to come here and see what was going on, although most of us came here last night and checked out the facilities. It’s special. For many of us, it will probably be just once in an -experience Outdoor games are few and far between. Being able to play in one, especially here in this scenario, is incredible. We want to dive into it. There are many games throughout this season, definitely highlighting this one. “
The wind and the sun provided challenging conditions, but the ice held even when the brightness got stronger when the morning turned to afternoon. The altitude certainly tested lung capacity.
Games this weekend, including the Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins (2 pm Eastern Time; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS) will be played at 6,224 feet above sea level.
It is the second highest altitude game in NHL history, after the 2020 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game at Falcon Stadium on the Air Force Academy campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The one between the Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings was played at an altitude of 6,621 feet.
Video: Hear the sounds of the Lake Tahoe trail
No one seemed to care about any of the challenges.
“We did some traditional practices before the game and then we played a little 3 on 3 to get the experience that these guys would have on an outdoor track in the small towns they grew up in when you just went out and dropped the record and played for hours on end, “said DeBoer.
It must be a memorable Saturday.
“There is something to be said just for our team and the Vegas team to go out on this ice sheet near the lake,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “You are standing on the ice looking right at the lake. We are right on the edge of it. Tomorrow it will be an incredible experience to be able to play. Even without the fans, it will be something special here that the guys will be able to look back on and say that it was a very cool for our team. “