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Players raved about the ice surface after practicing on the outdoor rink for the first time.
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Smooth sailing on
outdoor ice
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com
November 21, 2003
EDMONTON -- Dan Craig did it again. The NHL's ice technician earned rave reviews Friday
for the outdoor rink he assembled in the middle of the
Commonwealth Stadium football field that will host
Saturday's historic Heritage Classic and MegaStars
games. Craig put together a regulation NHL ice rink,
from scratch, in less than two weeks. Friday, the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens
-- the opponents in Saturday's first-ever outdoor game
-- practiced on the new ice surface for the first time.
Afterward, the players raved about the condition of
the ice. "The ice was great," said veteran Montreal center
Joe Juneau. "It was amazing. You can tell there's been
no problems with the humidity (affecting the ice), you
know. It was great out there." Related Links
Heritage Classic on TV- on the CBC (HD simulcast), RDS/SRC (Canada)
and NHL Center Ice, HDNet (U.S.) - 4:30 ET
Alumni Game - 7:00 ET
Canadiens vs. Oilers
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Conditions have been ideal to make ice in Edmonton
this week. While Craig needed refrigeration to freeze
the base of the two-inch surface, this week's cold
snap has greatly aided in the success of the 12-day process.
In fact, Craig has not had to turn on the refrigeration unit in the past four days as the mercury regularly stayed below zero on the Celsius
scale. Even Wednesday's light dusting of snow, close
to two inches, could not throw the process off. Despite the break in the weather, the ice-making
process was a painstaking one for Craig's crew. Once they laid the base of plywood, piping and
sand, the crew spent almost 15 hours saturating the
sand with an 1 1/2-inch hose to allow it to be frozen.
After that, it took another 12 hours of spraying to
establish the first layer before painting the lines.
The crew spent another 10 hours spraying and allowing
that to freeze before the Zamboni was allowed on the
surface to make the first cut. Finally, a series of 12 hot floods -- spaced an
hour apart -- were applied to make the final
quarter-inch of the surface, which is of a thicker
density than the base. That task was completed just
before Wednesday evening's snowfall. Since then,
Craig's crew has spent every waking hour tweaking and
massaging the surface to get it in the best shape
possible. "I'm four days away from where I wanted to be with
the ice," said Craig, always a perfectionist. "But,
hopefully the boys are happy and we can put on a show
for the world tomorrow." The reward for all that hard work -- not that Craig
expected one -- came in the genuine praise from the
players who make their living on Craig's surfaces. Cold, what cold? -- In the days leading up to this weekend's Heritage Classic activities, all of the talk focused on just
how the players would deal with the bracing
temperatures forecast for Saturday's games. For the players, it was almost a non-issue. Friday
they played on the outdoor rink for the first time,
taking to the ice on a sunny day with temperatures
hovering around the minus-10 Celsius mark. The
forecast for Saturday calls for similar
conditions. That, say the players, will be just fine by
them. Chris Nilan, who will suit up for the Canadien
MegaStars, admitted the cold was a shock as they took
the ice for the team's 9 a.m. practice. But, it
quickly became a non-factor. "I felt a little like I was on another planet when
I first got out there," admitted Nilan. "But, once I
got warmed up, I felt pretty good." So good, in fact, that Nilan scoffed when asked if
he would use the hand-warming packets espoused by
teammate Larry Robinson. "I'm from Boston," snarled Nilan. "What do you
think?"  | |
Fuhr, who will tend net for the Oilers alumni, had a green one-piece thermal body suit under his equipment.
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Even Grant Fuhr, as a mostly stationary goaltender,
says the cold will not be a problem. But, that may be
because Fuhr had inside connections. After peeling off
his goalie equipment, Fuhr was decked out in a green
one-piece thermal body suit. It seems it was a gift
from the trainer of the Edmonton Eskimos, the local
Canadian Football League franchise. "It's all about who you know here," said Fuhr with
a laugh. Fuhr passed his knowledge on to Ty Conklin, the
starter for the current Oilers. Conklin also donned
the green underwear for a practice session later
Friday afternoon. "It was perfect," said Conklin. "Look at me, I'm
sweating. They don't look great, but they worked." The current skaters also refused to play into the
weather hysteria. The Montreal Canadiens practiced at
1 p.m. Friday. They will play at 5 p.m. Saturday.
And, coach Claude Julien says his players enjoyed
the outdoor atmosphere. "When we got out there, I was like 'Whoa, let's get
this practice over in 10 minutes,'" he said. "But, the
guys got used to it and by the end they didn't even
want to come off the ice." Calling it quits -- Claude Lemieux, who will play for the Canadiens MegaStars team, admitted Friday that he will not be
returning to active duty in the NHL. Lemieux started this season with the Dallas Stars,
but a training-camp injury severely hampered him and
he was released by the Stars before the start of the
season. Many, however, believed that Lemieux would
resurface with another team in the spring. One
of the most clutch Stanley Cup Playoff performers in
the history of the game, Lemieux has won Stanley Cups
with three different teams -- Montreal, Colorado and
New Jersey -- in his illustrious 16-year career. That
resume will have contenders seeking a proven veteran
knocking on his door come February or March.
But, Lemieux says he will not answer the call. "We've made up our minds in the last few months,"
Lemieux said, bringing his family into the equation.
"The body's just not the same anymore. A light came on
telling me it was time to hang it up and I'm paying
attention."
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