See How The NHL Prepares TCF Bank Stadium For Outdoor Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- John Torchetti, the interim head coach of the Minnesota Wild, will make his debut in front of home fans on Sunday at the NHL Stadium Series game.
That's the big outdoor game between the Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks. Just a few days ago, rink preparations at the stadium were put on hold because of the dangerously cold weather. Now, temperatures will be near 40 this weekend.
So what happens to the ice? WCCO's Molly Rosenblatt was at TCF Bank Stadium on Monday to find out.
The good news is the use of high-tech equipment prevents the ice from melting. But the weather still plays a big factor, and monitoring the status of the ice is a 24-hour job for the NHL.
"A lot less sleep for us. We're watching the weather constantly anyway. We have had our two trailers on the West Coast, we've been in warm climates before," Dan Craig said.
Dan Craig, the NHL's senior expert in facilities operation, says the system they use to build and maintain the ice at TCF Bank Stadium is a one of a kind unit designed by the NHL. It's a 53-foot, 300-ton capacity refrigerated truck that keeps fluid constantly moving through the floor.
"We have an aluminum panel floor that we use and the glycol is brought from the trailer to the floor. The heat is removed from the air, then brought to the trailer through the compressors just like your refrigerator at home," Craig said.
And it's not just used for cooking. It's also used for heating, to keep the ice at the ideal 20-degree temperature.
"When it warms up it fires up and when it cools down we have a heater that maintains about 20 degrees, right where they want it to be," Craig said.
Craig says it's a big job that includes around-the-clock work and a lot of worry, in any kind of weather.
"The reminder of all the crew to be patient. We can't fight Mother Nature, we just have to work with her and we lose a lot of sleep. We really do," Craig said.
And high temperatures for both the alumni game Saturday and the main event Sunday will be in the mid-40s, so it should be nice weather for the fans, that's for sure.
