Ice, Ice, Baby: Bell Centre set for 2023-24 season

MONTREAL – Alas, the Bell Centre has returned to its purest form.

Montrealers aren’t foreign to outdoor skating rinks. Throw a shovel, water, and temperatures below the freezing point into a blender, and Habs fans have what they need to channel their inner Cole Caufield.

But when considering the best ice in the National Hockey League, as voted on by the players in the 2022-23 edition of the NHLPA Player Poll, it takes much more than that.

More specifically, it requires a five-day effort consisting of roughly 2,040 liters of water and paint, league-mandated measurements, immaculate precision, the coveted CH logo, and a dedicated crew who dot the i’s and cross the t’s to produce the 200 x 85-foot surface.

Recently, the canadiens.com staff caught up with Jean-Loup Barbeau, supervisor of technical services at the Bell Centre, who detailed the week-long procedure:

Day 1: Apply a thin layer of ice, followed by white paint and another layer of ice.

Day 2: Paint all colored areas, such as the red line, blue line, and faceoff circles, among others, and apply a layer of ice.

Day 3: Apply the logos, followed by another layer of ice.

Day 4: Continue flooding the ice to increase its thickness.

Day 5: Apply the final layer of ice, ensuring the ice is 1.5-2 inches thick.

Outside of the Bell Centre’s crew, few people know the ice as well as the Habs themselves. Accordingly, Barbeau plans on using the players as a resource to maintain a level of excellence the League’s players have come to know so well.

Meanwhile, he’ll continue to lean on the rest of the NHL’s contingent.  

“The officials provide a report on the air quality, ice quality, building temperature, etc., for every game that is played here,” said Barbeau. “The visiting team also files a report. Everything is accounted for; everything is sampled with the League, and everything is shared with us.”

Though the September heat wave would suggest otherwise, the ice installation is a fair indication that hockey season is right around the corner – that, Barbeau says, is what excites him the most.

“Everyone’s excited to watch the Canadiens play, so there’s a freshness in the air.

The offseason is coming to an end and no one’s more eager to break the ice than the Habs. They'll be able to satisfy that itch when they take their first strides of the 2023-24 campaign on Sept. 24 at the Red vs. White intrasquad scrimmage presented by IGA.