You have to see it to believe it.
Peter DeBoer said those words after Vegas Golden Knights coach gave the team a fun, fun pre-run on the NHL makeshift track built on top of the 18th Fairway at Edgewood Tahoe Resort on Friday, a blast away from the lake. Tahoe with Sierra Nevada in the distance.
“I think the images, as beautiful as they are, don’t do it justice,” DeBoer said. “I grew up in Canada and I know that anywhere in the Northeastern United States or Minnesota, anywhere they can build outdoor tracks, there’s always a competition on Dad Street from which you can build a better track “Every year you come back and someone adds lights or a marker. It’s a microphone-type outdoor track. It’s the nicest 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 at the Bridgestone NHL Outdoors on Saturday (3pm ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS ).
“It’s hard to describe, really,” the Avalanche captain said Gabriel Landeskog dit.
Captain of Vegas Mark Stone He said, “The view of the mountain is amazing. Having these big trees surrounding the track, they did a great job making everything look really rustic with the wood siding. It really brings it back to the old school’s outdoor tracks. It’s probably the best outdoor track you’ll ever see. “
This was not just a lip service. The players and coaches of both teams did their best to live it too, to get the most out of the experience by arriving on the court early and staying on the ice until the last seconds of the allotted time were set. .
Video: 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe time-lapse
Vegas practiced first at 10 a.m. local time. The avalanche went over the ice around 11:30.
“I think a good example was that we had a first practice today and we had two buses and I think there were only three or four guys waiting for the second bus,” Vegas advanced. Reilly Smith dit. “Everyone was so excited to get here and see what was going on even though most of us came here last night and checked out the facilities. It’s special. For many of us it will probably only be once in a while. a lifelong experience. Outdoor games are scarce. Being able to play in one, especially in this environment, is pretty amazing. We want to enjoy it. There are a lot of games throughout this season. “
The wind and sun caused difficult conditions, but the ice held up even as the glare became brighter as the morning turned into afternoon. Altitude probably tested lung capabilities.
This weekend’s matches, including the Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday, between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins (2 p.m. ET; NBC, SN1, SN, TVAS) will be played at 6,224 feet above sea level.
It is the second-highest game in NHL history behind the 2020 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series 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 elevation of 6,621 feet.
Video: Listen to the sounds of Lake Tahoe Track
No one cared about any of the challenges.
“We ran some traditional practice stuff before the game and played a little bit of threes to get the experience that these guys would have on an outside track in the small towns where they grew up when you just came out and released the record and he played for hours and hours, ”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 layer of ice by the lake,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “You are standing on the ice looking at the lake. We are on the edge of it. Tomorrow will be a whole experience to be able to play. Even without the fans there will be something special here that the boys will be able to look back and say it was an experience. great for our team “.