Crews Start Prepping TCF Bank Stadium For Outdoor Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- We're a little more than a week away from the return of professional hockey to the great outdoors in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Wild will host the Chicago Blackhawks for an outdoor game at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. It's part of the NHL's Stadium Series. The NHL released an image Tuesday of what the experience should look like for fans who have tickets to the game.
Crews began transforming TCF Bank Stadium into a hockey arena on Tuesday by laying a protective floor on the field. This is the first time they've had to set up a rink in the cold. The workers needed to take breaks to warm up.
"I used to build a little rink in my backyard so the nephews could use it," NHL Director of Facilities Dan Craig said, "but then, for some reason, the nation wanted their own, so I don't do that anymore."
The Gophers are the only team to face off at TCF Bank Stadium, playing Ohio State on the field two years ago.
"It was one of my best memories of college, for sure," Gopher forward Justin Kloos said. "It almost didn't feel like a hockey game, just because of the environment."
That was a night game, so it's a little different than what the NHL might see.
"The sun should be low enough in the sky, where it shouldn't impact the ice," Gopher coach Don Lucia said. "You've seen some of those NHL games, where they play earlier in the day, and that bright sunshine on a warm day can really mess up the ice."
But it's not the cold that the NHL is worried about either -- Minnesotans can handle that. They're more concerned about how the windchill might hit the stadium.
Sure, there have been cold games at the stadium before, like this year's Arctic playoff battle between the Seahawks and the Vikings, but the facilities team needs to be at the top of its game, too.
"We've got 12 sets of eyes out there," Craig said. "There are a lot of good guys from this area with us, so there's a lot of pride on the line."
The ice won't be laid until next Thursday. The Wild will face-off against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, Feb. 21. Saturday night, NHL alumni from the Wild, North Stars and Blackhawks will take the ice.
