CALGARY - The forecast for puck drop when the Heritage Classic faces off Sunday took a turn for the worse between Thursday evening and Friday afternoon.
A couple of days ago, talk was temperatures around zero Celsius for a high and lows in single digits.
Now, the weather man is predicting a high around minus-7 and a low as far down as minus-21.
"Perfect for hockey," said Flames head coach Brent Sutter.
The Flames will be well equipped to handle what Mother Nature has in store. The good news is no snow is forecast. In fact, it's supposed to be sunny.
"There's always a bit of glare," said forward David Moss, who'll be suiting up in his third outdoor/marquee game. "You'll see guys with the eye black on or the guys with visors wearing tinted visors. Once the sun goes down, it's really not a big deal."
Still, the chill will be the concern.
"That's all part of playing outside," Moss said. "You deal with the elements. It'll be all right."
"Once the game starts, if it's cold, so what?" added defenceman Jay Bouwmeester. "It'll be cold for the people in the stands, but if you're moving around, it's not that bad. It's not like it's raining.
"The guys I would be concerned about are the goalies."
Besides, maybe a new forecast will be in the cards very soon.
"It's Calgary -- wait 20 minutes and it'll change again," shrugged centre Matt Stajan, who has obviously figured out this city in the year he's been around. "It'll add to the experience if there's some snow or cold. We'll be playing. The people in the crowd will be suffering."
