For the first time in these contexts, the league will use two mobile cooling units instead of pumping glycol through boilers to remove heat from the ice surface. Starting on December 23rd or 24th, the NHL will crank up the air conditioning inside the arena, and workers will begin spraying steam in layers on top of the boilers to create a thick, dense ice surface.
– I think it will actually go really smoothly, said King. We’ll be able to keep the building closed and tight, we’ll be able to keep everything air-conditioned and that will allow us to build it the same way we would any other arena.
The ice in Amerant Bank Arena, the home arena of the Florida Panthers in the “regular” games in the series and the playoffs, is between 2.5 and 3.8 cm thick, approximately. For the outdoor game at LoanDepot Park, it will be between two and two inches thick, so instead of adding more water, the NHL can remove water if needed to sharpen the ice.
Derek King told us that the plans include opening the roof for the game on January 2 (read: the night of January 3, Swedish time). Local time, the match will be played in the evening, when the sun has set and the air is cooler.
So how good will the ice be?
– I think the quality will be fantastic, said Derek King. It’s obviously a different arena than Amerant Bank is, or any other facility, so we’re doing our best to control what we can actually control. In any case, we will not worry too much about the external conditions. We can make adjustments on the ice using the cooling units, and that’s where we really want our full attention.
– It is as we said before: a training day for the players is a training day for us. We will be able to fine-tune how the truck works, check the flow down to the rink… our goal is, of course, to be able to give the players the best possible ice to play on.
