You have to see it to believe it.
Peter DeBoer said these words after the Vegas Golden Knights coach put the team into a fun pre-game practice on the NHL makeshift rink built on the 18th fairway at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, a slap Lake Tahoe with Sierra Nevada away.
“I don’t think the pictures, no matter how beautiful, are right,” DeBoer said. “I grew up in Canada and I know anywhere in the northeastern United States or Minnesota, wherever I can build outdoor ice rinks, there is always a competition on the street whose father can build a better ice rink. Every year you come back and someone adds lights or a dashboard. This is a bit of an outdoor skating rink. It’s the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. “
DeBoer’s mouth was not the only one that fell when the Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche skated for the first time on the rink that will host them in Bridgestone NHL Outdoors on Saturday (15:00 ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS).
“Hard to describe, really,” the Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said.
Captain Vegas Mark Stone He said: “The mountain view is incredible. Having those big trees surrounding the rink, they did a great job, making everything look really rustic with the wood paneling. It really brings it back to the old school’s outdoor rink. It’s probably the best outdoor skating rink you’ll ever see. “
It wasn’t just lips. The players and coaches from both teams did their best to live their lives, to make the most of the experience, arriving at the rink early and staying on the ice until the last seconds of the allotted time were checked.
Video: NHL 2021 outdoor at Lake Tahoe time-lapse
Vegas first practiced at 10 a.m. local time. The avalanche entered the ice around 11:30.
“I think a good example was that I had an early practice today and I had two buses and I think there were only three or four guys waiting for the second bus,” Vegas said. Reilly Smith said. “Everyone was so excited to come here and see what was happening, even though most of us came here last night and checked the facility. It’s special. For many of us, it will probably only be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Outdoor games are few and far between. Being able to play in one, especially here, at this setting is pretty amazing. We want to soak it. There are a lot of games throughout this season, definitely highlight this one. “
The wind and sun made the conditions difficult, but the ice remained even as the brightness became brighter as the morning turned into the afternoon. Altitude has certainly tested lung capacity.
This weekend’s games, including the Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday between the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins (14:00 ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS) will be played at 6,224 feet above sea level.
It is the second highest-altitude game in NHL history behind the Navy Stadium Credit Union Stadium 2020 game at Falcon Stadium on the campus of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The one between Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings was played at an altitude of 6,621 feet.
Video: Listen to the sounds of Lake Tahoe Rink
No one seemed to care about the challenge.
“I went through some traditional training things before the game and then I played a little 3 to 3 to get that experience that these guys will have on an outdoor rink in the small towns where they grew up when you just went out and you took down the puck and we played for hours on end, “DeBoer said.
It should be a memorable Saturday.
“There’s something to be said just for our team and the Vegas team to come out on this sheet of ice right by the lake,” said avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “You sit on the ice and you look right at the lake. We’re right on the edge of it. It will be tomorrow’s experience to be able to play. Even without fans there will be something special here. The boys will be able to look back and say it was a great experience for our team. “