Vikes Fans Gear Up For Glacial Game
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Vikings fans can expect a cold night at the Vikings-Bears game Monday. Temperatures are expected to hover in the teens, with the addition of several inches of snow.
Jon Benson will be the first to tell you, he knows a thing or two about being cold. It's part of the job description when you work at the New Hope Ice Arena.
"Not as cold as it is outside, but I'm used to it," said Jon Benson, a Zamboni driver at New Hope Ice Arena.
But even a man who spends hours on the ice realizes he'll be out of his element at Monday night's Vikings game at TCF Bank stadium.
"I'm going to do everything I can find all the warm clothes I have. I know it's not going to be anything like working in the arena," said Benson.
Not since the 1980s have the purple and gold hosted an outdoor game.
"It's a romantic, poetic turn of events in that sense. We started our first Vikings game in history outside at Met Stadium," said Lester Bagley, vice-president of public affairs with the Vikings.
TCF Bank Stadium will now have its place in Vikings history on what will be a night of firsts. The first time purple and gold, replace maroon and gold at the University of Minnesota, and the first time Benson will get to cheer on the Vikings in person.
"My first time I'm going to have a good time, obviously, no matter the outcome. I'm looking forward to it," said Benson.
The best ways to avoid frostbite when you're out in the cold is to wear a lot of layers. Keep moving the cold parts of your body.
Also, drinking alcohol can make frostbite worse, because it causes heat loss. Alcohol can cloud judgment, so you don't realize you're cold.
WCCO-TV's Rachel Slavik Reports
