Dave Hakstol's Coached Outdoor Games At College & Pro Levels
Editor's Note: What makes the NHL Winter Classic special for everyone who gets to participate, is that it returns them to their roots. Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol is no exception.
Like a lot of Canadian youngsters, Dave Hakstol began skating before he was old enough to remember doing it.
"I grew up on a farm, skating on the small creek in back of the farm with my brother and friends," Hakstol told Dan Rosen and Shawn Roarke for their At The Rink podcast.
"When I was two or three, out in the front yard, there was a little rink there. I remember some of the practices outdoor, before we had the luxury of being in the Warburg Arena on a regular basis."
The Kraken coach is referencing Warburg, Alberta, a tiny village an hour's drive southwest of Edmonton. "Then you can throw in all the 'boot hockey' that was played that had nothing to do with being on a sheet of ice, just because of the winter outdoor settings."
Feb. 9, 2013: North Dakota vs. Nebraska-Omaha
It's coming up on 11 years since Hakstol was first behind the bench for an outdoor game. His University of North Dakota squad faced Nebraska-Omaha on the baseball field used for the College World Series in Omaha.
For a while, though, it looked like they might not.
"We got rained out that day. We were barely able to play the game, but we were finally able to play it six hours late." When the puck finally dropped, Hakstol's team scored three times in the first 11 minutes and went on to win, 5-2.
Feb. 25, 2017: Flyers vs. Penguins at Heinz Field
Hakstol accepted his first NHL coaching job with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015. The following season, he was back outdoors for a "Stadium Series" game at the home of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers.
"The day before, the practice day was beautiful. The family skate was absolutely goregous. Some of the families were out there in shorts and t-shirts.
"We flipped to game day, and that stadium in Pittsburgh - I'd heard legends about the wind howling through there. We found out what that felt like on game day. It was cold!" 67,318 watched the hometown Penguins beat the Flyers, 4-2.
Expectations For 2024 Winter Classic
So Hakstol has some idea what to expect when his Kraken host the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park on New Year's Day. "Just an awesome setting. It's a spectacle. There's a different 'rumble' from the crowd in these outdoor stadiums, when you're down at ice level."
That said, there will still be business to attend to. "As soon as you get to game time, it flips immediately to the competitiveness of those two points."
