How outdoor hockey at Soldier Field rattled my son's brain

Photo: Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune

My 8-year-old son is slowly becoming a sports fan. 

We live in a rural part of the country where there are no absolute local sports teams to root for, so he’s picked the Penguins – he loves penguins – and Bears as his respective NHL and NFL teams.

So, it sort of blew his mind Saturday night when I flicked the TV over to the Penguins v. Blackhawks Stadium Series game being played at Soldier Field.

“Wait, the Penguins are playing hockey in the Bears’ football stadium?” my son asked, trying to grasp that whole "what-tha…" concept.

“Yep,” I replied.

“Ok,” he said. “Change it back to Sponge Bob.”

Anyway, the Soldier Field game turned out to be another one of those NHL outdoor weather classics, at least in terms of the stunning visuals as we watched snow flow down to the ice. Not many sporting events can look better.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, whose team won 5-1, said it was “probably the greatest setting you could want. With how hard it was snowing it was like, 'Wow, these are amazing conditions.’ I think everybody went back to when they were kids."

We always hear the line – the one about going back to your childhood – from coaches and players when they speak about playing in the outdoor games.

As for the playing conditions, Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said the ice was “very good, but that first period it was tough to see and handle the puck. It really felt like a real outdoor game. There were no real systems or structure. We were just kind of hoisting the puck, slapping it around and having fun."

The Chicago Tribune’s website has an excellent gallery from the game.

-- snow --

Weekend wrap

Before fans could file into Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium for Sunday’s Browns-versus-Bears tilt, this had to be done:

Photo: Associated Press

Approximately five to eight inches of snow piled up on seats and in aisles prior to kickoff, and according to team officials, the Browns had more than 150 people working Saturday evening to clear the way for spectators to see their Brownies blow the game fall in dramatic fashion to the visiting Bears, 38-31.

After all the snow clearing, the intensity of the snow storm blew more snow back on to some of the seats before the game, Browns officials claim, forcing some fans to clear their own way as they arrived at their seats.

In other sports weather news, Navy once again rolled over Army, 34-7, with a little snow in the field in Philadelphia. The win is the 12^th in a row for Navy.

Photo: Associated Press

Believe it or not, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has never played in a snow game despite playing college ball at Wisconsin. He told the New York Times he was disappointed the snow stopped in New York – I know it’s actually New Jersey – Sunday before his team thrashed the Giants, 23-0. But, as the article says, maybe Wilson will get another chance to play in the New York snow when the Super Bowl in played in MetLife Stadium in a couple of months.

Photos: Seahawks Instagram

Did pregame hibernation doom Cowboys?

Associated Press

When ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters told us how much extra clothing the Dallas Cowboys had packed for Monday night’s bitter cold contest in Chicago, you knew the ‘Boys may have been thinking a little too much about the -9 wind chills they were facing at Soldier Field.

Brandon Marshall agrees. The Bears wide receiver told Chicago’s ESPN 1000 Tuesday he knew his team had the contest won when he saw only a few Dallas players on the field preparing before the game.

“There was only a handful of Dallas players,” Marshall said. “I looked around and I said, ‘Man, we’ve got these guys.’”

The temperature at kickoff Monday was 7 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago, but it felt like -9 with the wind.

“The elements were already in their heads,” Marshall continued in his radio interview. “So pregame, I believe that we won. I’m pretty sure there [would have been] more guys out there if it wasn’t colder, but they weren’t out there. For us, once you start putting on sleeves and start doing things differently, you buy into the elements and the game is over.”

The Cowboys came out of the locker room hot, running all over the Bears defense for a quick score and a 7-0 lead. Dallas kept the game close for a while, but the Bears eventually ran off to 45-28 win.

-- cold --

Bears freeze out Cowboys

Photo: Chicago Tribune

I hate to walk outside on a frigid day and hear someone ask, "Is it cold enough for ya?"

I just want to punch them right in the neck. Who asks stupid questions like that?

On Monday night in Chicago, I'm sure it was cold enough for everyone at Soldier Field where temperatures fell to 7 degrees Fahrenheit. With the wind, it felt like minus 7 as the hometown Bears whipped the Dallas Cowboys 45-28.

Next Monday, players, coaches and fans will be much warmer inside the cozy confines of Ford Field when the enigmatic Lions host the Baltimore Ravens. After both teams played in snow on Sunday, I'm sure they'll be happy to take their games inside the climate controlled dome.

I'll be at the same place I am most Monday night's, sitting in the man cave basking in TV's warm glowing warming glow.

Good night, Homer.

-- cold --

Sunday, snowy Sunday

Jeffrey G. Pittenger/USA TODAY Sports, via Reuters

If Sunday's NFL action didn't thrill you, you must have ice water in your veins.

As I told my wife, Sunday's games, particularly the early contests, were the most exciting I've seen on one Sunday in a while. There were high-scoring games, close games, a near upset in New England and constant lead changes late in the fourth quarter of the Baltimore/Minnesota game.

The one key element to all this excitement, in most cases, was the weather. We had snow in near D.C., Baltimore, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, but the blizzard-like conditions in Philly provided the most visually appealing matchup of the day.

I'll write more on this later – real-world stuff is getting in the way of important Rainout Blog stuff today – but for now I'll link you to a pretty cool snow-game gallery on NFL.com.

Oh, and don't forget temperatures will be down to 11 degrees Fahrenheit tonight in Chicago where da Bears host the Cowboys. By the way, what's Tony Romo's record like in December?

-- snow --

Chicago Soaker

Photo: Chicago Tribune

If you're a fan of old-school-looking football played on natural grass out in pouring rain – oh, and low scoring – Sunday night's Texans-Bears clash at Soldier Field mostly likely was directly in your wheelhouse.

Today, the Chicago Tribune has an excellent photo gallery highlighting the rain-soaked action.

By the way, Houston scored a 13-6 win over the Bears. Jay Cutler left the game in the first half after suffering a concussion, which no doubt has left the quarterback feeling a bit cloudy today.

Cutler not only missed the second half of the game, is questionable for the Bears' showdown Monday night in San Francisco, but he also was forced to cancel his Monday radio show with "Waddle & Silvy Show" on Chicago's WMVP-AM.

Pennsylvania Governor Really Wanted to Watch the Eagles Sunday Night

I’m guessing it was nice and cozy in the governor’s mansion, or where ever Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was planning to watch the Eagles game from Sunday night. I bet he had his chips, dip, a lovely beverage and his Eagles Snuggie all ready when he leaned the game had been postponed. Rendell, upset about the NFL’s decision to move the Eagles-Vikings game in snowy Philadelphia to Tuesday night for the safety of the fans, told Fox 29 News in a live interview that “fans can make their own judgments about their safety. This is football.” Rendell went on to invoke the name of Vince Lombardi, as everyone seems to do when they’ve been wronged by something as silly as a blizzard interrupting their football. You can see the entire interview on the Fox 29 website.

The Eagles-Vikings game will be played at 8 p.m., Tuesday night at Lincoln Financial Field. It will be the first Tuesday night NFL game since 1946.

In the meantime, snowy weather caused some minor problems for teams that did play On Sunday. After the Patriots spanked the Bills, the team had to take a bus to Rochester, N.Y. for the night. And the Jets, fresh off of blowing a lead and eventually losing to the Bears, were forced to stay the night in Chicago.

UPDATE: I just read that Gov. Rendell provides commentary after Eagles games, so maybe he would have been at the game and not at wrapped up in a Snuggie at the governor’s mansion. But, I’m guessing he’s not in the booth for each Eagles home game. If anyone has any information about the Rendell’s commentaries, send me an e-mail.

Every Gopher - and Viking - Grab a Shovel

When it comes to news production, the fine folks who serve in the public relations offices of colleges and universities often do some nice work. This video from the University of Minnesota University of Relations office is no exception. The three-and-a-half-minute piece includes a time-lapse of the snow removal and details the dedicated efforts of university staff and numerous other individuals toward preparing the already-winterized TCF Bank Stadium for Monday night’s Vikings – Bears game. It took 27,000 man hours to shovel and haul snow out of the stadium, according to Minnesota Associate Athletics Director Scott Ellison. Cool Fact of the Day: Workers, Ellison said, removed 40,000 cubic yards of snow, which if pilled back on to the field, would stack up to 20 feet high.
Photo: Reuters/Eric Miller

Zygi, It's Cold Outside

Wow, it was cold in Minnesota last night, eh? Not that I was at the game. Heck no. I was sitting comfortably in the man cave, sipping on hot cocoa. Yummy.

What wasn’t so good was the game. It was a stinker by most measures. A stinker unless you like the way weather often inserts itself into sports. I do. That’s why I (sometimes) write this blog. You do. That’s why you’re wasting time, probably at work, reading this nonsense.



When we looked at the NFL schedule back in September – when the Vikings had Super Bowl hopes and the Bears… we’ll, we didn’t know what to think about the Bears – we thought that, come December 20, the Vikes would be sitting as comfortable in the playoff picture – playing in the cozy Metrodome – as me sitting on my man cave couch.

It’s funny how 16 inches of snow on the Metrodome roof – not to mention an aging quarterback’s banged up body – can change things.

By the way, in case you somehow missed the action or any news reports, the Bears won 40-14 and clinched the NFC North title. Game time temperatures were 20 degrees with a wind chill of 9. Burrrr! Pass the hot cocoa… and someone take the whip cream away from Ty.


Zygi said what? You would think last night’s conditions would prompt the Vikings brass to build some sort of super indoor football facility and perhaps chip in a little cash so that all cold-weather teams could build a dome. Not the case. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said he’d like all the Vikings home games played outdoors. “Football should be played outdoors, and for the Vikings in the past, the weather has given the Vikings a big advantage," Wilf said… uh, before the game. We’ll see if he changes his tune.

Before we go today, let’s take one more look at that Metrodome roof collapse. I just can’t get enough.

Good night everybody.

Bears Heat Up in Record Cold

How cold was it in Chicago last night? Cold enough to be the coldest Bears home game since the NFL began keeping such statistics in 1963. The cold, hard facts about Monday’s night’s weather says the temperature was 2 degrees, and the wind chill made Soldier Field patrons feel as if it were minus 13 degrees as they watched the Bears slip past the Packers in overtime. The Chicago Sun-Times web site has a list today of the Bears top 5 coldest games. The Packers have been the opponent in four of those games.

Bear Weather

From today's Chicago Sun-Times:

Bear weather / BARE weh THUR / n. / Popular -- and much-overused -- term to describe miserably cold conditions for Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field, conditions that die-hard fans can attest don't necessarily help the home team. Bear weather is marked by: steam coming off Brian Urlacher's head, snot frozen to fans' faces, a wicked wind off the lake that sends field goal attempts awry and, perhaps, snow: e.g., tonight's game conditions.

The forecast for tonight's Monday nighter at Soldier Field calls for low temperatures at 11 degrees with windchill at minus 2.

Polar Bears Welcome Brees

The Bears and Saints go toe-to-toe Thursday night in Chicago, and while both teams will be fighting to remain in the playoff hunt, the story of the night will be the Windy City weather.

Forecasters are calling for temperatures to dip to the lower teens with wind gusts as high as 20 mph. That’s not good news for Saints quarterback Drew Brees, whose passer efficiency rating at Soldier Field is 16 points below his career average. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs thinks Brees may be a bit too soft to play in the Chicago cold after Brees has spent his pro career playing in a warm city and indoors.

"Drew Brees has been in San Diego and in New Orleans in a dome,” Briggs said. "So when he comes out here, and he's got his hand-warmer fanny pack, it's a whole different ballgame. He's freezing; his blood is real thin."

In their past two trips to Chicago, the Saints have moved the ball well, but also have committed seven turnovers. The Bears defense also sacked the QB six times.

Last week, Chicago defeated Jacksonville 23-10 in 19-degree temperatures – minus 1 degree if you factor in wind chill. It was the coldest game ever in Jaguars history.

“If you talk to teams that aren’t from Chicago, believe me, they don’t want to come to Chicago this time of the year to play football,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “For us, it’s a part of our everyday life. It’s no issue with us.”

Shuffle Off To Buffalo

We got news earlier today that the Buffalo Bills charter plane got stuck in the mud at a Cleveland airport, forcing the team to ride five buses back to upstate New York. It took a while for images of the plane to pop up on the Web, but now, thanks to Cleveland’s Newsnet5.com, we have visuals. Hey, there’s one the screen now. If you absolutely need to see more, here’s a slideshow. Ok, I’m officially retiring from this blogging stuff for the day. It’s 11:30 p.m. here at Rainout Blog headquarters, and I’m going to watch the Vikings finish the Bears. The Gridiron Norsemen lead 20-13, with 5:32 to play. Good night everybody.

Frozen Indentity

In addition to athletics and weather, I have a fondness for sports uniforms. So, naturally I'm a frequent reader of the Uniwatch blog. A couple of days ago a few comments appeared on the Uniwatch message board about the Chicago Bears are having trouble with logos staying attached to helmets. Someone suggested that the cold weather in the Windy City could make the sticker logo brittle, thus causing them to break off. Good point. Another comment informed us that temperatures in Chicago had not been so cold during Bears games at Soldier Field. Also, the photo above, which was posted on Uniwatch, is from the Bears game at Washington last week. So, what gives? I don't know, but one of the commenters vowed to get to the bottom of the issue. This news appeared Tuesday, I think, and so far no one that I've seen has posted any updates. Perhaps I could do a little leg work on this myself, but I'm too lazy, I mean busy.

(The above photo was posted on Uniwatch.)

Almost As If It Never Happened

I give up. Late last night I sort of promised to make mention today of the 13th anniversary of the Monday Night Football game on Halloween, 1994 in which the Packers blew past the Bears 33-6 in monsoon-like conditions at Soldier Field. And after days of searching, I can't find a single photo of the game online. As you know, a sports weather blog is useless without the visuals to drive it. I'm not sure this Internet thing is all it's cracked up to be. I do have the game on VHS tape, but it's probably still in my parents' basement. But you do remember the game, right? The weather, with gales up to 36 mph, seemed to affect the home team more than the visitors. The Bears had only 95 yards of offense through the first three quarters and didn't score until the fourth when the Packers, who had the wind at their backs for the first and third frames, had put the game out of reach. Green Bay and the driving rain also forced five turnovers out of the Bears, while the Pack had none. More than 19,000 fans who had tickets to the game opted to stay away from Soldier Field that Monday night and settle for watching from the dry cozy confines of the own living rooms – or man caves, right Ty? I wonder how many kids went trick-and-or-treating in the driving rain that night in Chicago.

Staying Alive

Wow, the clock on the wall says it’s about a half an hour from midnight, and I just realized I had not posted here today, jeopardizing my consecutive week days posting streak. It’s been a slow day, but there could be a few stories on the horizon worth keeping our weather-watching eyes open for. Tropical Storm Noel could cause some soggy conditions on college football games this weekend depending on which path she chooses to take. Also, tomorrow is Halloween and the 13th anniversary of a very soggy and windy Monday Night Football game at Soldier Field in which the Packers, wearing throwback unis, sloshed past the Bears, 33-6. I may write something about that tomorrow to commemorate the anniversary. But for today, well, this is it. I guess you could call this a throw-away post done for the sole purpose of keeping my streak live. This is the equivalent of putting Cal Ripken Jr. into a couple of innings so he could keep his games played record alive and kicking, right? Right! Good night America. You too, Istanbul (not Constantinople).