Tomas Holmstrom talks outdoor hockey

 

By Stefan Kubus – 

Sure, Tomas Holmstrom played hockey outdoors as a kid growing up in Piteå, Sweden.

But retired now at 40 years old, he never imagined he’d be playing in such a huge outdoor game at Comerica Park.

Holmstrom will suit up in a Detroit Red Wings sweater once again in the Hockeytown Winter Festival Alumni Showdown on New Year’s Eve. Holmstrom was a member of the Red Wings team that participated in the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field against Chicago, but he figured retirement put an event like that out of reach.

“No, not at this level,” Holmstrom said of whether he ever envisioned being a part of the highly-popular outdoor festivities once again. “It’s going to be fun. This is going to be my first game since I retired, too, so I have to stop eating, get back in shape and work on my game.”

The longtime Red Wings forward said he fondly remembers coming home from school to skate on the 40-by-20 meter rink built by his father, Henrik.

“You come home from school, you went out there,” Holmstrom said. “My dad had some lights, too. We’d get home, maybe 1 or 2 o’clock from school, at 4 o’clock we had people coming from their jobs, so they would come out and skate…We had boards and rounded corners. At that time, my dad worked at the lumber company, so he got all the wood.”

But it wasn’t just Holmstrom’s dad getting in on the act.

“My mom took all the kids inside, made hot chocolate, had a bucket of hot water to put the feet in after a while, so we spent lots of time on the outdoor rink.”

Due to those frigid temperatures, Holmstrom said he typically wears an extra pair of long johns underneath his equipment or something to cover his neck. It’s safe to say most players would prefer first-line minutes over fourth-line minutes if it were possible and fitting. When sitting on the bench outside, that’s truer than ever.

“When you start going, and hopefully the coach doesn’t bench you – you’re going to get cold – if you’re moving around, you’re going to be good.”

Holmstrom, a 10th-round pick in 1994, spent his entire 15-year career with Detroit, where he won four Stanley Cups, recorded 530 points in 1,026 games and became best known for providing screens from his parking spot directly in front of opposing netminders.

Having previously played in an outdoor game in such brisk playing conditions – it was 31.9-degrees Fahrenheit at the Wrigley Field puck drop in 2009 – Holmstrom said it’s probably worse for the fans, who are practically sitting or standing in one spot for most of the game.

“It was cold at Wrigley Field. They had heated benches that were so warm you couldn’t even sit on them. When you play, it’s not that bad for the players. It might be worse for the people that are watching.”

Although it makes him feel like a kid again, Holmstrom said, most importantly, these outdoor games have inspired today’s youth to go outside and play the game themselves.

“I know my kids love to see the outdoor game, especially when it’s snowing… I think it makes the kids want to go out and do it, too, instead of sitting inside playing video games.

“It brings the kids out, for sure.”