On the white pants:
I think they’ll look awesome once the jerseys are on ‘em. Guys [wearing] white jerseys look really good.
On players saying that it felt warm at ice level and that they’d need to hydrate well:
I think all that’ll come into it. We’ll see how the humidity is and what the temperature is. It’s hard to tell with the ice because we were the second group on or the third group, almost. We’ll see how it goes.
On what he learned from last year’s game at Dodger Stadium:
No, actually, compared to the skate from Chavez Ravine to here, the ice last year was better. Whether that was just the temperature of that night before or (because) we went first, I’m not sure. I don’t think it changes much. Play our game.
On whether it was a luxury to have an off-day yesterday:
Well, if we wouldn’t have been playing outdoors, would that’ve mattered? We’re coming home from a road game and then we’re going on the road again, so I don’t know what difference that would make.
On whether many players had families join them for the game:
No, I think most of the guys that went through it last year had their families in, and being on the road, I think there’s a handful. Probably not even half.
On whether this is the right time for the Kings to play outdoors, given the “grind” of the schedule and a new, unique look:
You know, we’ve played really well for the last three weeks here, and we’re just trying to continue it. It’s not really the ‘grind’ part of it. It’s a busy schedule. It’s not anything other than that. It’s a road game for us, and we have to play it like that.
On whether the team is still awed by the aura of the surroundings:
I think last year was significantly different than this year. We were playing in a historic building last year, and this is a new building. I don’t think anything other than that is different. I thought it was pretty unique last year and pretty special to be able to do it. To be able to do it two years ago, for a lot of guys it’s obviously never going to happen again for ‘em. [Reporter: I think a lot of people from the league’s headquarters in New York would like to keep coming out here for outdoor games in the wintertime.] I think from what’s gone on in the east the last couple weeks, for sure. But I’d like to play a game in the snow, too. [Reporter: Would you like to play some place like Minnesota?] Sure. I told my family that. Actually, if we were playing in the snow, I’d make sure they’d come. Really, everyone thinks that everybody’s played outdoors. Not very many of the players have. That’s bull. These guys are too young. They’re not used to playing. They might’ve skated outdoors. Very few have played a game other than last year outdoors.
On whether he’ll soak in his surroundings, or whether there’s a “singular focus” to collect two points:
Oh no, you’ll take it in. I’m sure there’ll be lots of old players and the uniqueness. There’s a lot of people. You say 70,000, but it’s probably more than that. From my standpoint if you think about it, if you had said 40 years ago to me that we could have played a game in Chavez Ravine and played one in the Bay Area, that [would’ve been great]. We were used to black and white TV and we did play outdoors. [Reporter: Never played outdoors with 70,000 fans, though.] I think there were a million fans when we played.
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