FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. -- The weather co-operated, the home team won and it was standing room only at the first Canadian junior hockey game played outdoors.
The host Fort McMurray Oil Barons downed the Drayton Valley Thunder 4-2 on Friday in an arena constructed on a soccer pitch in the northeastern Albertan city.
The players had already headed for the warmth of their dressing room and the spectators to waiting buses after the Northern Classic, when a chunk of oilsands was extracted from under centre ice.
Instead of the lucky loonie that has become lore of so many Canadian teams involved in international competitions, burying in the ice what drives the industry of Fort McMurray was symbolic for the people who live there.
The oilsands, and by extension Fort McMurray, have been the target of increasing criticism by environmental groups this year. Changing that perception of the city was one of the driving forces behind the outdoor game.
"So often we have negative press around our oilsands partners and the truth of the matter is, without our oilsands partners we couldn't do things like this," said Tim Reid, chief operating officer of McDonald Island Park where the game was played.
"We're asking the media and the rest of the country to take a second look at this region because there's some fabulous things going on here."
The Northern Classic broke the previous Alberta Junior Hockey League attendance record of 4,400, drawing 5,726. Tickets to the game had sold out within an hour of going on sale. Those who didn't get a seat stood on hay bales or whatever high perch they could find to gain a better view of the ice.
The NHL has been staging outdoor games regularly since 2003, when Edmonton hosted Montreal at Commonwealth Stadium, and this season's matchups are scheduled for Pittsburgh on Jan. 1 and Calgary on Feb. 20.
The Western Hockey League, one of three major junior leagues in Canada, will hold its first games outside on Jan. 15 in Spokane, Wash., and another in Calgary on Feb. 21.
The Junior 'A' Oil Barons, consisting of players between 16- and 20-years-old, wanted to be the first to have an outdoor game this season and were rewarded with near-perfect conditions for hockey outside.
There was no wind or snow and the frigid temperatures that had gripped northern Alberta earlier in the week loosened in time for the game. It was about minus-10 C when the puck dropped.
"We definitely warmed up as the game went on," Oil Barons captain Adam Johnson said. "At the beginning of the game, we had to stand on the bench for a half-hour doing nothing. My toes were pretty cold at the beginning."
Johnson said most of his teammates decided not to wear the thermal underwear provided to them. They predicted they would get warmer during the game and were correct.
"My legs are sweating right now," Johnson said.
It was chilly enough for spectators as lines became longer and longer at heated concession tents, where supplies of hot chocolate ran low. The game had a festival feel as live bands performed, children wrestled in the snow and spectators did the wave to keep warm.
Tod Jackson has lived in Fort McMurray since 1974 and feels the outdoor game has distinguished his hometown
"It's making history. The Oil Barons are a big deal in this town and to put something like together is extraordinary," he said.
He pointed out that while there were music and announcements during the game, it seemed quieter because the noise didn't reverberate off a ceiling.
"I don't think there's as much noise when you're outside and you're out in the open," Jackson said. "Everybody is a little chilly so they're probably not screaming as much when they are indoors."
Fort McMurray is about 400 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, which is hosting the Grey Cup on Sunday.
Fort McMurray has helped Alberta corner the market so far on outdoor hockey games played in Canada with Edmonton in 2003 and a pair of them in Calgary later this winter.
Oilers president Patrick LaForge attended Friday's game.
"You can't imagine how many memories it brings back," LaForge said. "It seems like it happened 100 years ago, but when you get here it feels the same, it smells the same, it brings back all those traditional roots of the game played on frozen ponds. I just love it."
The Oil Barons, whose alumni include Phoenix Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall and Chris Phillips of the Ottawa Senators, improved improved to 20-9-1 with the victory.
"We know it was an important two points, but at the same time it happens only once in your whole lifetime, so you've got to have fun with it," Johnson said.
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