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Ducks’ Koivu recalls playing outdoors in 2003

Boston Bruins v Anaheim Ducks

at Honda Center on January 7, 2014 in Anaheim, California.

Jeff Gross

Anaheim Ducks forward Saku Koivu is no stranger to playing outdoors.

He’ll be on the ice on Saturday night for the Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Kings, but he was in the NHL’s first outdoor game in Edmonton in 2003 as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

As Koivu told the Los Angeles Times, the conditions in L.A. are going to be a bit nicer than they were outside in Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium.

“You’d grab the puck and by the blue line, you’d have to pass because your eyes were watering so bad, you couldn’t see anymore,” Koivu said. “The heaters on the bench were so hot you wanted to get back out there, but it was so cold.”

Heaters on the bench likely won’t be necessary tonight as temperatures are expected to be in the 50s and 60s. Koivu and the Ducks face the Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN tonight.

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