Bruins and Lightning excited for colder-than-expected Stadium Series in Tampa

TAMPA — When the NHL scheduled its outdoor Stadium Series game in Tampa on Feb. 1, there were some certainties.

It would be held at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buccaneers. The Tampa Bay Lightning would host the Boston Bruins, two division rivals battling the elements for crucial points. There would be pirates, thanks to the annual Gasparilla Festival that happens the same weekend in downtown Tampa. And based on historical weather data, the NHL could count on temperatures hovering around 70 degrees.

The venue, the teams and the Pirates were all there this weekend. This is not the case with the Florida heat. The forecast for Sunday’s Stadium Series game is hockey’s: Temperatures during the game, which is scheduled to begin around 6:30 p.m. ET, are expected to drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Saturday’s weather was so frigid and the forecast for Sunday so cold that some Lightning players began dreaming of a winter wonderland for their outdoor game.

“Last week it was about 80, and this week it might snow at some point. So it’s crazy, but it’s also super exciting,” Lightning center Yanni Gourde said.

“We were talking about it yesterday: How cool would it be if it snowed in Tampa and there was outdoor play?” » said forward Nick Paul. “If you say that to anyone, they won’t believe you. So yeah, bundle up if you’re a fan and have fun.”

The Stadium Series is the second outdoor game played in Florida this season, after the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers in the Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park in Miami on January 2. The game-time temperature for the Classic was 63.1 degrees, making it the warmest Winter Classic and the second-warmest outdoor game in NHL history behind the 2016 Stadium Series game at Coors Field in Denver (65 degrees).

These records will not be threatened at all on Sunday, which was a surprise to everyone involved.

“It’s crazy because I think last February 1st, if I remember correctly, it was about 81 degrees in Tampa. So in the past it was usually a cool time of year, but I don’t know if in the 13 years I’ve been in Tampa I’ll feel it as cold as tomorrow,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after Saturday’s practice.

The unusual weather was applauded by the Lightning and Bruins players.

“I heard it’s going to be in the 30s, so hopefully it might be even colder,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said.

“I think the weather was perfect for this outdoor game. You don’t see that often in Tampa. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be a little colder, which is nice. Hopefully it’ll be good for the ice,” Tampa Bay center Anthony Cirelli said.

To make sure the ice was playable for the game in Tampa, the NHL did something it had never done for an outdoor game before: put the ice inside an air-conditioned tent. The 240-foot-long, 34-foot-high steel-framed canopy is climate-controlled to maintain the integrity of the ice.

“Sun, rain and humidity are all important factors, and it will be essential to control these elements for as long as possible while we build the ice,” said Derek King, NHL vice president of hockey operations.

The ice protection structure threw up a few wrinkles during Stadium Series practice day. Traditionally, players’ families and friends join them in skating after practice. Because the rink was protected from the rest of the stadium – and to help maintain the quality of the ice – this did not happen in Tampa. Teams also haven’t had a chance to acclimate to the sightlines and different dimensions of the outdoor rink, a process that takes some time.

Morgan Geekie of Boston said it was a little dark under the tent, “but I think once the tarp is off it will be easy in terms of the weather and we’ll just battle it out” on Sunday.

“It would be cool to participate in the warm-ups to get a feel for what’s going on. Obviously with the tent it was a little different and unique experience,” Cirelli said. “But I think it’ll just make things cooler, being in front of the fans. Get our warmup right, and I think we’ll be ready to go.”

Many players felt the ice was good in the tent, but McAvoy thought there was room for improvement.

“It’s really quite uneven. It’s really mild. We’ll see what they can do between tonight and tomorrow,” he said. “Obviously we got it after they practiced on it. I don’t know how many people have skated on it before, but yeah, it’s not great. I’m sure they have a plan in place to make it as good as possible. I want it to be colder so the ice is better and there’s kind of an outdoor game atmosphere.”

Players and coaches hoped that the unexpected “hockey weather” would have a positive impact on the atmosphere of the game. It won’t look like the beach. It’s going to look like a pond in Saskatoon.

“You need that atmosphere to have a little bit of an icy breath and feel it in your lungs and stuff,” Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “The fans here in Tampa as well, obviously we’re sometimes messed up by the weather here in the winter. So a little bit of cold weather for a hockey game should do wonders for the crowd.”

Cooper said he’s excited for Lightning fans to experience something the players are so familiar with.

“This game is meant to be played in cold weather. I think for 65,000 people… I know a lot of people from the north who have experienced this, but there are a lot of people who haven’t. And for them, I’m happy, because this is what we experienced all our lives on the frozen pond, outside, playing until dark,” he said.

“Basically, that’s what we do: play under the lights at night. A unique and special experience. We’ve all been a part of it in our lives, but a lot of people who are going to this game haven’t. And I think that’s super cool.”