As Winter Classic approaches, Wild players recall hockey at its most elemental

Skating under stadium lights on an oasis of ice in front of a nationally televised audience is a setup only some on the Wild have experienced.

But playing hockey outside is far from a foreign concept.

"It's where the love of the game comes from," Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said. "You're out there, there's no rules. You can do whatever you want and not be told what to do by coaches. You can try whatever you want. Just a lot of memories."

The Wild will get its full-circle moment on Saturday in the Winter Classic against the Blues at Target Field, an alliance between the sport's fundamental level and its most advanced stage.

With that spotlight comes opportunity specific to the circumstances: the chance for the Wild to emerge from an 11-day hibernation and end a four-game losing streak, to reclaim the top spot in the Central Division that St. Louis recently pried away and to confirm it belongs among the best teams in the NHL.

And yet the scene will look like so many that came before, players chasing a puck on an outdoor rink during a winter evening, the purpose the same as it's always been.

"It's just one of those things it brings you right back to your childhood," goaltender Cam Talbot said.

Whether they play forward or defense, grew up locally or overseas, this setting is what Wild players have in common.

Even Florida native Brandon Duhaime skated outdoors as a child, like when he visited his grandparents in Quebec. Back at home, he had a different method outside.

"Rollerblading was year-round for us," Duhaime said. "If we were playing pickup hockey, we were doing it on rollerblades."

Indoor rinks are limited in Norway, so Mats Zuccarello was outside quite a bit. Kevin Fiala remembers snow falling as he played as a 10-year-old in Switzerland, and there was an outdoor rink next to Jonas Brodin's house in Sweden.

As for Marcus Foligno, he was outside for hours in Sudbury, Ontario.

"It's so much fun," Foligno said. "After school, you tell your buddies, 'Hey, let's meet here at 5 o'clock,' and then before you know it you have 20 people out there playing."

The rink at Southwest Elementary in Grand Rapids is where Alex Goligoski spent every night in the winter.

Rem Pitlick's parents purchased their Plymouth home because of the pond in the backyard, and Ryan Hartman had an outdoor rink in Michigan that his dad, Craig, built.

Hartman is one of three Wild players to have participated in a Winter Classic; he was with the Blackhawks in 2017 when they squared off against the Blues at Busch Stadium. Zuccarello and the Rangers took on the Sabres in 2018 at Citi Field, and Goligoski was at Heinz Field in 2011 as part of the Penguins squad that faced the Capitals.

Wild coach Dean Evason was also involved in that game, as an assistant with Washington.

"You can hear the crowd," Evason said. "You can hear the buzz. There was a real cool atmosphere."

One of the more decorated outdoor careers, however, belongs to Nick Bjugstad.

Before suiting up for a Stadium Series game with the Penguins in 2019 vs. the Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field, the former Gopher faced the Badgers at Soldier Field in 2013. Bjugstad also skated outside in high school with Blaine against Roseau on Baudette Bay in 2008 as part of Hockey Day Minnesota.

"It was minus-20," said Bjugstad, who was a freshman at the time. "I think one of the guys on our team for a week he couldn't feel his feet."

That's not all Bjugstad recalls, though.

"I remember my dad taking me out and my feet being so cold," Bjugstad said. "He'd run my feet under cold water. That would actually warm my feet up, and then we would go back out. It was the best time to play hockey as a kid and the most fun."

The Winter Classic may be just another reincarnation of a childhood staple, but it's not the only one. Players are also getting outside to skate when it's not for work, as Foligno has with his daughter.

"I remember taking Olivia one time, and there was a full-on game going on and I'm like this is awesome," Foligno said. "It was tough not to jump in. It's cool to see that stuff."

Two Christmases ago, Matt Dumba, Joel Eriksson Ek, Victor Rask and Brodin went to the John Rose Oval in Roseville.

"We ended up playing us against like 50 kids," Dumba said. "It was pretty fun."

Dumba, like the rest of his Wild teammates, isn't a kid anymore.

He's an adult, a professional hockey player. But when he's back on the ice outside, he's reminded of how he used to feel when he was younger.

"There's something about it, just the energy of it," Dumba said. "That comes from where we first fell in love with hockey and the reasons why we did."