DENVER — By now, we've learned that Saturday afternoon's outdoor NHL game at Lake Tahoe between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights won't exactly be on a lake.
"It's not on a lake. It's beside it," Avalanche winger Andre Burakovsky explained to center Pierre Edouard-Bellemare in a Zoom press conference last month.
Edouard-Bellemare was crushed to connect the dots: "Noooo!"
But that won't kill Tyson Jost's vibe. The center is excited to be back with his team and get back to his outdoor roots.
"I know for myself, I grew up playing on an outdoor rink on my lake and we'd make a little outdoor rink out by the cabin there, so it's going to be really cool," Jost explained.
Colorado doesn't exactly have the best track record for outdoor games. The Avs lost to the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in 2016, and to the Los Angeles Kings last year at Air Force Academy.
But they're hoping the third time is the charm.
"I'll definitely enjoy the experience," Jost said. "Last year was so cool and it was such a cool venue, and this year is going to be even cooler because of the atmosphere and just the setting we're playing in."
Rookie defenseman Bowen Byram is preparing for his first-ever outdoor game in the pros, but they're entering uncharted territory together.
"I'm not really too sure what to expect, I mean I think it's been kind of a different year for everyone with no fans," Byram said. "Usually, the outdoor games are in front of a lot of people."
Either way, it's still an honor to be recognized by the NHL for the third time in five years.
"It kind of just shows the work we've done as an organization," head coach Jared Bednar said. "We have some star power on our team and we're an exciting team to watch. I'm glad the team recognizes that."
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