Las Vegas Wranglers Prepare for 'Indoor Winter Classic' on Jan. 1 With Locked-Out Trophy, Special Uniforms (Photo)

Jan. 1 is supposed to be a day synonymous with the NHL, as the league usually prepares for the Winter Classic on the first of the new year. Unfortunately, with the NHL locked out, there will be no such game this season.

To fill that void, however, the Las Vegas Wranglers have stepped up to host the first-ever “Indoor Winter Classic,” complete with its own trophy and “throwback” jersey theme for the players. The EHCL team is squaring off against the Ontario Reign in Vegas on Tuesday at 2 p.m., and to help recreate the atmosphere of an outdoor game, the Wranglers are promising to leave arena doors open to get some wind into the rink.

The forecast for the game also calls for intermittent snow, according to a team statement.

The Wranglers have also hosted such events as Dick Cheney Hunting Vest Night and Rod Blagojevich Prison Uniform Night in the past, but they have high hopes for this special event.

“We hope that with time the Indoor Winter Classic grows, and we will be forced to move it outdoors,” Wranglers president Billy Johnson said.

The Wranglers — who are celebrating their 10th year in the EHCL — will also be wearing “throwback” uniforms, with special patches commemorating the game.

The piece de resistance, however, is the trophy that the winning team will take home. The award is topped with a couple of dollar signs flanking a special bobblehead of the team’s mascot, Duke. The award is also wrapped in a chain with a padlock prominently displayed, in a nod to the NHL lockout. What’s more, the team is proud to announce the trophy cost just $29.

“No one on our team went near it,” Johnson said. “Which — if tradition is to be believed — tells me they really want to win it.”