TORONTO -- For those wondering if the NHL has overplayed its hand in staging outdoor game after outdoor game (and yes, I'm guilty of feeling outdoor game fatigue), the looks on the faces of the Detroit Red Wings on Friday suggests evidence to the contrary.
Sure, these outdoor games might no longer draw the kind of national attention they used to, but for the players themselves, it has remained a moment in their careers to cherish.
Take Niklas Kronwall, who turns 36 on Jan. 12. This is NHL outdoor game No. 4 for the Red Wings' alternate captain, and his eyes sparkled Friday after skating on the ice at BMO Field as the Red Wings held a team practice ahead of Sunday's Centennial Classic.
No question, the veteran Swedish blueliner is also trying to soak in these moments more than he did in his early years.
"You're so right about that," Kronwall told ESPN.com in a crowded visitors dressing room at BMO Field.
"I remember my first time in Chicago [2009 Winter Classic]. You're so focused on what needs to be done. The older you get, the more you appreciate everything and it's easier to take everything in. Just trying to take in every moment."
Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou doesn't need experience to understand the moment at hand. The 22-year-old grew up just north of here in Vaughan, Ontario. This is a home game for him, and he's had to dip into his wallet to make sure some of his clan is on hand Sunday.
"Probably around 20 will be there," he said Friday with a smile. "I have 14 tickets myself for family and friends, plus a few other people, too, are coming.''
Since some of the tickets are running up to $400 apiece, that's a healthy hit. But for Athanasiou, it's a unique opportunity that might never present itself again.
"It's unreal," he said of the chance to play in Sunday's Centennial Classic. "To get home and see family and friends and for them to get a chance to see me play outdoors, it's really exciting."
Former Washington Capitals blueliner Mike Green will be playing in his fourth outdoor game, two with the Caps and now his second with the Red Wings.
At 31, the spectacle of it all remains a thrill.
"Absolutely," Green said Friday. "It's like this big stage all of a sudden. It's kind of cool."
The lessons of past outdoor games?
"The variables change," said Green. "It's a whole different vision -- there are a lot of variables that come into play like the sun, the reflection and whatnot. It usually takes about the first period to get your bearings. From there it's just another game."
And yet, each outdoor game has its own challenges. It's not as if because you've played in a few that you can draw up a carbon-copy recipe for success.
"Not at all," Green said. "In fact, I was saying today that the ice here is the best I've ever seen in an outdoor game. It's really good."
The players around the Wings dressing room raved about the ice Friday, and when you're staging an outdoor game, well, that is about the most important thing you want to you hear.
"The ice is probably the best I've seen as far as the outdoor games," said Kronwall. "The ice is great."
The Big House this will not be. The game on Jan. 1, 2014, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, might just go down as the most impressive NHL outdoor game ever.
"Ann Arbor was awesome," said Kronwall. "There were so many special things: the temperature, the snowfall, 105,000 fans. It'll be tough to beat that. But in saying that, they've done a great job out there here."
Said Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg: "You can't really compare the venues, but it's going to be a fun event. I'm really looking forward to it."
The key, said Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill, who was behind the bench in Colorado last year for the Wings-Avalanche outdoor game, is to remember that things happen in outdoor games that are unexpected.
"The positive we have is that we've got lots of guys that have played in lots of these games, whether they were in the NHL, some guys have done it in college, some guys have done it in the American League," Blashill said Friday.
"The biggest thing in these types of events is to take it in and enjoy the moment. But to also make sure we understand there's two big points at hand, and let's make sure our process is real good. Also, I think you have to be able to go with the flow. It's kind of like a wedding -- it won't always go perfect, you just got to keep going and enjoy it."