For the first time, the League will use two Mobile Refrigeration Units instead of one to pump glycol through the pans and pull heat from the surface. Starting Dec. 23 or 24, the NHL will crank up the air conditioning inside the stadium, and workers will start spraying layers of mist on top of the pans to make a thick, dense ice sheet.
“I think things are going to really smooth,” King said. “We’ll be able to close in the building, keep everything conditioned, and that’s going to allow us to build it like we would in any other venue.”
The ice is about 1¼ to 1½ inches thick at Amerant Bank Arena, the Panthers’ usual home. Here, it will be 2 to 2½ inches thick, so the NHL can remove water rather than add it, if necessary.
King said the plan is to open the roof for the game Jan. 2. The game will be at night, when the sun is down and the air is cooler.
How good will the ice be?
“I think the quality is going to be great,” King said. “Obviously, it’s a different venue than it is at Amerant Bank or any other facility, so we’ll do our best to control what we can control. We’re not really going to worry too much about the outside conditions. We can make adjustments on the truck and really pay attention to that.
“Like we’ve said before, practice day for the players is practice day for us. We’ll be able to fine tune the truck, flow down to the rink, and really our goal is to provide the players the best possible sheet we can.”
The players can’t wait. Panthers general manager Bill Zito called the Winter Classic a “spectacular event” and a “bucket-list type of occasion.”
