It wasn't exactly an outfit that Joe Mauer would typically wear, let alone to a hockey game.
Donning a black tuxedo with a tall black top hat made it difficult for the normally low-key Mauer to blend in with the sea of people at the Excel Center for the Minnesota Wild game.
But being that it was New Year's Eve and he promised Justin Morneau that he would dress up for the party the two were hosting together for a group of friends after the game, Mauer somehow was convinced to wear the get-up, bowtie and all.
"There would have been no chance of that a couple of years ago," Mauer said, with a laugh about his outfit. "It took Morny awhile to talk me into it. I guess I'm just a little more reserved than most."
The Twins All-Star catcher has been a standout on the baseball field for as long as many people can remember, but when it comes to those things off the field, the St. Paul, Minn., native would rather just shift the spotlight elsewhere.
It's definitely become a more difficult task as Mauer's role with the Twins continues to grow -- along with his success. But the goal of his teammates and friends has been to find ways for the player to not totally shy away from public life.
The first few seasons he was with the Twins, Mauer said he spent his nights at home in his condo in St. Paul, trying to avoid the attention. But it was in 2006, when he began rooming with Morneau that Mauer said he really started to discover life beyond the baseball field.
"I think we were good for each other," Mauer said. "I'd get him to stay in a few nights and he'd get me to go out, which I never did before. It made for a pretty good balance."
The two are no longer roommates, with Morneau and his fiancée Krista, having bought a home in nearby Mendota Heights, but the camaraderie has continued. And it's become a sort of daily challenge for Morneau to slowly ease Mauer out of his shell.
The first baseman feels he has succeeded -- well, at least a little bit.
The recent outfit at the hockey game he feels was a start. But when asked if Mauer has become less quiet away from the field than he still is in the clubhouse or in interviews, Morneau couldn't help but chuckle and say, "No."