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Team Canada players get lost in the fog at hockey game in Slovakia

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Aug 1 2023, 11:34 pm
Team Canada players get lost in the fog at hockey game in Slovakia
Amphibious_Fire/Reddit

Good luck, goalies. Fog was a factor Tuesday at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which is not something we can usually say about a hockey game.

Or any other indoor sporting event, for that matter.

Fog blanketed the ice at the Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Stadium in Trenčín, Slovakia, as Canada and the host Slovaks competed in the annual U-18 tournament.

Canada won the game 14-4, filling the net 14 times on 38 shots in what was clearly a difficult night for both goaltenders.

Ice-level cameras showed just how thick the fog was, with players outside the blue line very difficult to detect.

The fog didn’t appear to be a problem for Calgary-born forward Ryder Ritchie, the son of former NHL player Byron Ritchie, who scored three goals and added two assists. Michael Misa of Oakville, Ontario also had a big game, scoring two goals and four assists.

Fog can sometimes be a factor at ice rinks, when an arena is kept too hot and humid. Officials in Slovakia did their best to move the fog from the ice surface today by running a fan between plays.

Humidity in Trenčín appeared to be to blame for the ice conditions, which were reminiscent of the famous fog game during the 1975 Stanley Cup Final between the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. A non-air conditioned Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo on a hot and humid night was the reason for that memorable game.

“It was hard to see the puck from the red line,” Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Bernie Parent said at the time. “You couldn’t see the puck. A good shot from the red line could have won it.”

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