NHL-Outdoor-Spiel
It gets so cold in Minnesota that the ice needs to be heated
During the traditional ice hockey game on New Year’s Day, temperatures of down to -28 degrees are expected. This record temperature is too cold even for the ice.
It will be frosty at the “Winter Classic” in St. Paul.
The NHL Winter Classic will take place on January 1st (Swiss time on January 2nd at 1 a.m.). At the now traditional outdoor game on New Year’s Day, the Minnesota Wild receive the St. Louis Blues in the Target Field of St. Paul.
It’s already clear that the Minnesota Twins baseball game will be a very different affair than the outdoor game in Lake Tahoe last February. Back then, the ice melted due to warm temperatures and strong sunlight, so the game had to be postponed until after sunset.
In St. Paul, on the other hand, temperatures of down to -28 degrees Celsius are expected. This makes the game the coldest outdoor game in NHL history. The previous record was held by a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens from 2003 when it was -18 degrees.
Ironically, the low temperatures are also a problem for the ice cream masters. When it’s this cold, the ice becomes dry and crumbly – which could lead to dangerous situations in a professional ice hockey game. The ideal temperature of skating ice is -5.5 degrees Celsius. This is why the ice cream masters have built a kind of heater into the control system, with which they can regulate the surface to the desired temperature.
It will be so cold at the Winter Classic that the NHL will have to heat the ice. Yes, the ice. That’s just part of the extensive preparations for the weather to help fans, workers and players. https://t.co/qF3uYhu9Kb via @NHLdotcom
– Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 30, 2021
Of course, precautions have also been taken to ensure that players, coaches and fans in the stadium can cope with the icy conditions. In addition to warm underwear and balaclavas, heated players’ benches ensure that players and coaches do not get overcooled. And since cold weather is not uncommon in St. Paul, the stadium is equipped with heated zones where the fans can warm up when the opportunity arises. Hand warmers and soup are also distributed.
“The Minnesota people know what to do in these temperatures,” says Matt Hoy of the organizing committee. “If you use common sense and dress appropriately for the cold, there won’t be any problems.”
