Minnesota Twins great Joe Mauer stopped by Target Field on Wednesday morning as grounds crews continued to assemble the stage ahead of the Winter Classic on January 1.
Mauer, who retired in November 2018 from Major League Baseball, caught his first glimpse of the ice rink that covered the infield where he once played.
"Yeah, that's something out there," Mauer said.
It was February 2020 when Mauer, along with former teammate Justin Morneau, announced that the Winter Classic would in fact come to Target Field on January 1, 2022 between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues.
"We've been trying to get this game here for a long time," Mauer added. "I'm excited for the fans, the community, and I am sure they will put on a great show. There will be a lot of excitement and I'm happy to be a very small part of that."
Mauer said he would be in attendance.
"I'm excited to come out here and root on the Wild and hopefully we have great weather. I'm excited to see how it plays out."
Wednesday marked the start of the NHL's pause on the season due to COVID-19 cases. The pause is schedule to last through Saturday as the league deals with a number of outbreaks.
Games are expected to resume Monday, December 27. If games don't resume by Monday for the Wild, their first game back from the extended break would be the Winter Classic against St. Louis.