Good morning, Winnipeg

Good morning, Insiders, and good morning, Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Sorry, the “i” button froze. It’s zero degrees outside, Fahrenheit, and is expected to dip to minus-eight by the time we board our flight this evening. My guess is we’ll have to de-ice. Yes, I’m blogging outside. No more questions, please.

As an honorary Western Canadian honorarily raised in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, these types of polar vortexes hardly affect me and my honor. Honestly, it’s your 72-degree mid-February days that flummox me. That’s why I felt so much at home while gazing out the window at the houses in motion as we approached James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after a three-hour flight.

One-offs to Winnipeg are rare-to-nonexistent. An extra off-day was built into the schedule in the event inclement weather forced the Stadium Series game back a day. Rather than use the extra cushion in Colorado Springs or Winnipeg, the team flew home after the outdoor game, enjoyed a pleasant Sunday basking in California’s warm embrace, practiced Monday morning and boarded the plane at 11:00 before lifting off and touching down in the late afternoon. Tonight’s game ends a marathon 35-game stretch dating back to the matinee in San Jose on Black Friday in which the Kings play 24 of 35 games on the road.

Lots more to come from friendly Manitoba. Thanks as always for reading, Insiders. Let’s talk soon.