Vikings tell fans to keep their shirts on as frigid game temps loom

The Vikings have a word of advice for fans heading for the wild card playoff game at TCF Bank stadium on Sunday: Don't show up wearing nothing but a gold "V" painted on your bare chest.

Air temperatures during the game are expected to hover around the zero mark, possibly making it one of the coldest NFL games ever. That's not counting the wind chill potential for the open air football stadium. The Vikings say it could be the coldest game the team has ever played.

"We want our fans to be smart and safe when they are supporting the team," owner Mark Wilf said in a statement released by the team this morning.

The team says it's taking some steps of its own to help fans, as well:

• The team will have a limited number of free hand warmers available outside the stadium and at the gates.

• Caribou Coffee is providing free hot coffee in the Fan Zone on Oak Street.

• Mariucci Arena will be open from 9 a.m. until the noon kickoff.

The team is also going to allow non-battery powered blankets into the stadium, as well as other bulwarks against the cold.

"One of the tactics that our rivals use to the east is bringing Styrofoam, or cardboard, newspapers, some items to place under their feet so that you're not directly on the concrete," Anderson said. "It's a tactic that works in other outdoor markets, so we're encouraging our fans to do that as well."

And, if you're a glutton for weather punishment, Anderson said there are still tickets available — about 1,000 of them as of the lunch hour today.