The NHL's 2012 Winter Classic pits the Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, on Monday, January 2.
Begun on January 1, 2008 when the Pittsburgh Penguins took to the ice against the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, the Winter Classic aims to re-create some of the atmosphere of largely bygone days when ice rinks were built outdoors in cold climates. The Winter Classic also seeks to lure new fans to the game.
Construction Begins
According to the article "Take Me Out to the Hockey Rink" appearing in the January 1, 2012 issue of Philadelphia SportsWeek, the ice rink for the Winter Classic starts with the construction crew laying a tarp to protect the baseball field's playing surface. Then they lay oak blocks to support the steel "staging platform." Next, three-quarter inch thick plywood is placed atop the platform.
Then they lay the refrigeration system. That consists of aluminum plates with pipes attached through which glycol coolant is pumped in at 19 degrees from special trucks. Sensors placed in the ice help to regulate the temperature and keep it at 22 degrees.
The SportsWeek article, illustrated by Mike Placentra, states that once the refrigeration system is in place and mesh cloth is laid down at both ends of the rink, ice-making begins. Once frozen into the ice, the mesh gives rock-steady support for the Zamboni, the ice resurfacing machine.
Ice-Making Begins
According to a video posted at NHL.com on Christmas Eve, the ice-rink crew, including employees from the NHL and the Wells Fargo sports arena across the street from Citizens Bank Park, began making ice on Dec. 24. To make the ice, the crew sprays layers of water on the surface to create a one-inch layer of ice. Next, the crew paints the frozen surface white.
Later, the crew sprays more water to make another quarter-inch of ice. When it freezes, the goal lines and the blue and red lines are painted on and the cloth logos are added. The crew sprays more water and allows it to freeze, which seals the paint and logos. More water is sprayed to create a final playing surface having two inches of ice. By the time the rink is complete, it has been painted with two coats of white paint.
The rink is located in the area where the infield for the Phillies is and measures 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. The stadium for the Alumni Game and Winter Classic sold out so up to 48,000 fans can see each game live. The rink was ready for use during the 2012 Winter Classic Alumni Game played on Saturday afternoon Dec.31. It pitted former players of the Flyers and Rangers against each other. The Flyers won 3 to one.
Dealing With the Weather
It's been unseasonably warm in Philadelphia the last few days, in the 50s and sunny early in the afternoon of the Alumni Game. In fact, the game was originally scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET but the time was pushed back to try to get more favorable weather. The decision worked because by the time the national anthem was sung, the sky was overcast and the wind had picked up considerably.
Dan Craig, the NHL's senior director of facilities operations, dealt with the vagaries of the weather in the days before the game when midday sun threatened to make the ice less than ideal. Craig was prepared, however. He and his crew pulled out the insulated tarps, which protected the ice from the daytime sun. In fact, before noon on the day of the alumni game, the boards around the players' benches registered 92 degrees with the sun beating down in them, according to the NHL. So the crew put the tarps out on the ice's edges and on the lines and the logos and did not remove them until 2 p.m.
The game will be broadcast at 3 p.m. ET on NBC in the U.S. and on CBC in Canada. The NBC pre -game show begins at 1 p.m.
Sources:
- Craig, Dan G. and the Staffs of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News. "Take Me Out to the Hockey Rink." Philadelphia SportsWeek. January 1, 2012.
- Rosen, Dan. "WC: Elements Take to the Rink. NHL.com.
- Rosen, Dan. "Ice Holds Up to Alumni Game Dress Rehearsal." NHL.com. 31 December 2011.
Linda N. Riggins - I have written freelance articles for Victorian Homes,Catholic Digest, the Old Farmer's Almanac, Fine Homebuilding, the Christian Science ...
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