Winter Classic about how much cold broadcasters can handle

It’s going to be cold in South Bend on New Year’s Day, but you might not know it by looking at Kevin Weekes.

The NHL Network analyst will be rinkside at Notre Dame Stadium for the Winter Classic between the Bruins and Blackhawks on Jan. 1, bundled up and, somehow, looking fresh.

“Weekesy always is prepared,” said Mike Rupp, his on-camera cohort for the NHL’s 11th iteration of the outdoor game. They’ll pair up with Jamison Coyle for pre- and postgame coverage. “He always says, ‘You’re not ready.’ He’s ready. He’ll come in and he’ll look like a million bucks and he’s been prepping for a long time with that.”

While Weekes plans to be covered head-to-toe in layers of material to keep himself warm in the expected low 30-degree temperatures, Rupp’s approach to being ice level has been a little more … laissez faire.

“I’m usually the one [who] will go there unprepared and NHL Network will provide me with an NHL Network parka and I’ll wear that and I’ll generally be cold,” Rupp said. The 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field might have changed his tune, though. “Last year, I didn’t have any gloves on. That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. No gloves, holding on to the metal mic. It was a struggle.

“Maybe I should. I’ve learned a lot from Weekesy. This is one thing I definitely learned last year. I’m going to be a little better prepared for South Bend.”

While Rupp has a thing or two to learn from his former Devils teammate, Weekes has made sure to listen to what the 2003 Stanley Cup winner brings to the table when it comes to NHL games played in the great outdoors. Rupp, after all, is a veteran of two Winter Classics: he skated with the Penguins in 2011 at Heinz Field, and Rangers fans will remember his two-goal performance a year later in a win over the Flyers at Citizens Bank Park.

“When Rupper was playing, those guys are in motion,” Weekes said. Rinkside, however, is a different story. “We’re basically potted plants. Ultimately, we want to be able to enjoy the experience from our vantage point, too.”

That means being warm. Because of the unconventional ice surface, space heaters or lamps are a no-go, and that leaves the likes of Weekes and Rupp with the option of layering up.

“He’s a savage,” Weekes says of Rupp’s gloveless performance in Flushing. “[NHL Network host] Tony [Luftman] and I, we just kept laughing. He’s at minus 8 million … holding a metal mic, not even shivering.”

If it sounds as if there’s a mutual respect between the two, it’s because it’s been years in the making. The pair first met as teammates in New Jersey during the 2007-08 season, playing together for two seasons — Weekes, the affable netminder who drew everyone around him into his orbit, and Rupp, the hard-nosed consummate professional.

According to Weekes, they “just vibed.” Now, in their second lives on TV, having traded skates and jerseys for ties and notebooks, they watch hockey more than before, seeing things from new and different angles from their playing days. They text often to talk about anything and everything. Hockey. Life. How they can be more like their studio brethren Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal on “NBA on TNT.”

Some things haven’t changed, though. When they get to South Bend for their fourth outdoor game together, Weekes will be dressed to the nines and as toasty as possible. Rupp, well, he’ll still figuring out how to keep warm.

“We get there, they give us these winter hats, they got a ball on top of them,” Rupp said. “I’m like, listen man, I got in a fight in an outdoor game. I ain’t gonna come in here and wear a ball on my hat. That’s contradicting. We need to get some more rugged looks for our set.”

“Rupper wants input!” Weekes said, laughing. “I throw all that to the wind. I know I’m gonna do everything I can to be warm!”