Capitals, Predators avoid injuries on shoddy Baltimore ice

Aside from the occasional 15-year reunion with the NHL, Alex Ovechkin’s statement might be the most common takeaway from typical exhibition games that go the right way: “Thank God nobody got hurt.” That was especially true after the Nashville Predators earned a 2-0 win against the Washington Capitals in the Baltimore Hockey Classic, an exhibition game in which the shoddy ice conditions overshadowed the contest itself.

It’s a real shame, too, because this was the first professional hockey game in Baltimore since 1997 and the Capitals’ most recent visit since 1992, according to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post.

While a Caps spokesman told The Washington Times’ Stephen Whyno that the scary-looking cracks (see the bottom of this post) were below the surface of the ice and wouldn’t affect play, the game was marred by poor conditions - cracks or not. Carrera reports that smooth-skating defenseman Mike Green “tumbled twice for no apparent reason” while goalies found themselves “skidding” when they went into the butterfly position. The 1st Mariner Arena opened in 1962 and judging by the feedback of coaches and players, the building definitely showed its age.

From the start of the game, which Nashville won, 2-0, puddles formed all over the ice surface in the noticeably warm 49-year-old arena, sending pucks slip-sliding at unexpected moments and prompting players to hold themselves back at times in order to avoid injury.

“It was hard because the ice was not that good. It was first our game and we didn’t play exhibition,” Alex Ovechkin said. “Of course you try to think about more when you go to the boards and the corners — especially in the corners, ice is not that good. I don’t know how many times today [equipment manager] Brock [Myles] check our skates because of holes.

“The ice was soft but it’s over,” Ovechkin added. “So thank God nobody got hurt everybody feel healthy.”

Along with being a lost opportunity (in some ways) to increase the popularity of the NHL - and particularly the Capitals - in a solid market like Baltimore, some might believe that the substandard conditions also defeated a common purpose of preseason games: evaluating players. Even a blue-collar team like the Predators scaled things back a bit, as head coach Barry Trotz reminded his players to not “be too creative out there.” That being said, Capitals bench boss Bruce Boudreau learned something from the game.

“It’s hard to judge skill,” Boudreau said of assessing talent in the mushy ice, “but it’s always easy to judge effort. Whether you’re in a blinding snow storm or a rain storm, as the Winter Classic was, you can tell.”

Boudreau makes a point, but it’s still disappointing that the game was largely a waste.On Frozen Blog’s John Keeley probably captured the sentiment the best in his Tweet following the game.

Baltimore was a gracious host for NHL hockey Tuesday night. But NHL hockey must have NHL conditions -- player safety is non-negotiable.

In case you’re wondering, Chris Mueller and Kyle Wilson scored the Predators’ two goals, while Niclas Bergfors assisted on each tally and Shea Weber also earned a helper. Pekka Rinne ended up with the shutout while Michal Neuvirth was the losing goaltender.

In case you’re still not relieved - and surprised - that the game was reportedly injury-free, take a look at this photo of that cracked ice from Sky Kerstein: