ARLINGTON, Va. - Playing baseball growing up in Wawota, Sask., Brooks Laich and friends would light a wine cork on fire to make eye black and guard against the sun.That might not be a bad idea at the Winter Classic.With plenty of sun in the forecast, Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks players must be prepared for sun glare to cause problems and perhaps even delay the start of Thursdays game at Nationals Park. Laich said players were warned about the possibility of the opening faceoff coming later than 1 p.m. because of the sun, and his teammates understand its a variable theyll have to deal with.Youve got to sort of find a way quickly to adapt, Capitals defenceman Mike Green said. Once youre in the game, everythings instinct and whatnot. Theres definitely adjustments you have to make as players and as a team, but thats the fun of it.According to the National Weather Service, itll be about five degrees when the Capitals and Blackhawks are scheduled to take the ice for the seventh Winter Classic. Theres no rain in the forecast, but with limited cloud cover expected, the sun could be beating down on the ice.Nationals baseball players here grew to call it the Sun Monster, and it could wreak some havoc for hockey as well. Players will get a taste of it during practices in the late morning and early afternoon Wednesday.Theres precedent for delaying outdoor games in recent NHL history. The 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia was delayed two hours because of the sun, and a Stadium Series game at Yankee Stadium earlier this year was delayed 98 minutes.I think Id rather deal with sun than rain, Laich said. I think even with sun youre going to have better ice conditions, youre going to have a better product on the ice.Weather changing the start time of a Winter Classic is nothing new to the Capitals. Rain forced the 2011 game in Pittsburgh to be moved to nighttime, and even then it wasnt clear and perfect.We went through weather conditions that werent in favour of a hockey game last time in Pittsburgh, Green said.The plan is still for this to be an afternoon game, and according to an NHL spokesman a change to the start time wouldnt be contemplated until game day.Either way, players insist theyll be prepared.Well get a chance to wear the eye black which we didnt get to do in Pittsburgh, Capitals winger Eric Fehr said. I think thats kind of cool. Hopefully we get the game going at 1 oclock.On Tuesday, the ice had sun on it until just before 2:30. The height of the stands at Nationals Park actually helps reduce the amount of time the sun is on the playing surface.Eye black is one way for players to adjust. Skaters might also try to take advantage of goaltenders Braden Holtby and Corey Crawford not being able to see the puck as well.Shoot it from everywhere, Laich joked. Red line, shoot it, eh? Skip it along the ice. Try anything.Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said he hadnt considered the potential ramifications of sun glare or wearing eye black.I just dont think about what Im gonna do out there, Ovechkin said. Were gonna skate on the ice and then were gonna go to the locker-room.Sun or no sun, just playing outdoors requires players to change some things up. Green said the ideal playing conditions would be just like indoor rinks, but he knows thats not possible.Capitals coach Barry Trotz said his biggest adjustment might be wearing a hat. While many of the players on the two teams and coach Joel Quenneville have been a part of outdoor NHL hockey, this is Trotzs first chance.Despite being new to this, Trotz understands players will have to adapt on the fly.I think the biggest thing is going be depth perception because youre used to the fans right on top of you, he said. All of a sudden theyre going to be away from you a little bit. Its going to feel different.Note — Capitals defenceman Brooks Orpik is questionable to play after suffering a right knee injury Monday night. Trotz said this being the Winter Classic will not affect how the team handles the injury.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Frank Nesser Jersey Store . The 22-year-old slugger, who is no stranger to adversity, made up for it at the end. Dave Pacella Jersey Store . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. https://www.chinacheapjerseys.net/bill-b...rsey-store/.com) - After Tom Brady added to an already illustrious legacy, Malcolm Butler established his by leaving the Seattle Seahawks, well, deflated. China Jerseys Authentic . Goergl, the 2011 world champion, started 28th after the other top contenders had already gone down but had the fastest time at each interval. Goergl finished the demanding 3-kilometre Kaelberloch course in 1 minute, 47. China Jerseys Wholesale . Five years ago, Nestor and Zimonjic beat the American twins to win the title. But the Bryans, the worlds top-ranked team, needed 74 minutes to earn the victory Saturday as both Nestor and Zimonjic lost serve in the second set.VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis met Friday with the head of FIFA and members of the Italian and Argentine national rugby teams. Francis told the rugby players in town for a match on Saturday that theirs was a "tough" sport but one without violence, where individual and team greatness complement one another. Francis also met Friday with FIFA chief Joseph Blatter. "We spoke the same language and it was language of football," Blatter said. "It was really a meeting between two sportsmen and two football fans." Blatter said he responded to the popes request for FIFA to help the favelas, or slums, of Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 World Cup, with aa promise to "do what we can.dddddddddddd" "We cannot do everything," Blatter said. The soccer-mad Francis, a longtime member of his beloved San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, has amassed an impressive collection of soccer jerseys as gifts from visiting teams and players. The two also unwittingly wound up confronting the relative strength in the numbers of active participants in their institutions, with those involved in football, including players and their families, slightly outnumbering Roman Catholics worldwide. "We have 1.2 billion people and (the pope) said, I have no more than 1 billion," Blatter said with a laugh. ' ' '