Had a chance to catch up with Minnesota Wild forward Jarret Stoll after this morning’s outdoor skate at TCF Bank Stadium. Here’s most of what we discussed…
On ranking his outdoor game experience:
“They were all kind of different. We lost the one in Edmonton and Celsius I think it was about minus 25. It was frigid, how cold it was. I think they were deciding if they were going to cancel it or not because it was so cold. But that was a cool experience against Montreal. The alumni game that they had was very cool, just to see all the names that came back and played in it. The one in Dodger stadium with LA was very special because of all the history with Dodger stadium and the city of Los Angeles to have an outdoor hockey game; I don’t think many people ever thought that would happen. Playing Anaheim, a rival obviously, we didn’t play very well we lost 3-0 so that kind of took a little bit of the luster away but it was still a great experience. You always take away a different experience. You make the best of it and enjoy it as much as you can. The one at Levi’s Stadium was a great game by us. We beat San Jose, which is a big rivalry and it was a cool experience. This one will be totally different. Minnesota, the state of hockey, they love their hockey out here. This is the first game in the state and to be honest they probably should have had one already. One thing I notice about this stadium is its more intimate, it’s smaller. The crowd will be more on top of us as opposed to in dodger stadium or football stadiums. I think it’ll be fairly loud out there.”
On when he knew he’d be in another outdoor game:
“Probably right when I got here. Playing in New York, you’re not really paying attention to the teams out here. As soon as I got moved out here I realized it. you just realize the support this team has in the state. With Chicago playing in it too, I think they’ve played each other three times in a row in the playoffs with Chicago winning every time, but the rivalry is there. Blackhawk fans travel pretty well so it should be a good atmosphere.”
On if he has given advice to his teammates:
“Yeah. There are different aspects, you’ve got the wind, is the sun going to be out if it is going to be overcast. We talked about the ice a little bit, the boards and stuff like that. Obviously making simple plays and not trying to do too much with the puck, especially as the game goes on. I thought the ice was very good during our practice but that’s one thing. When two teams are out there and we’re battling, it might be another thing. But they’ve done a great job from what i see so far. Guys are asking about underwear and what they should be wearing and trying different shirts and things like that to keep warm. From the most part from the feedback so far everybody was comfortable. Temperature was good, it was a little breezy out there but if that happens it’ll be the same for both teams.”
On if he’s skated outdoors in Minnesota:
“Not here, yet. Not until today.”
On if he’s heard any notable answers:
“No that’s probably one of Drew’s (Doughty) specialties, what he says and what he doesn’t say. When you fly into Minnesota you see all the outdoor rinks that are out there, and there are a lot. On ponds, on man-made lakes, in backyards, a lot of them in backyards.”
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