Stadium Series outdoor rink 'in good shape' ahead of Capitals-Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Looking at the rink and the weather, you might wonder how the Carolina Hurricanes will host the Washington Capitals in the 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

The ice was covered with tarps Wednesday, as the sun shone brightly at times and the temperature rose to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The forecast calls for clouds and a high of 73 on Thursday, then rain and a high of 65 on Friday.
But the NHL is well prepared to stage its first outdoor game in North Carolina, and it should be dry and about 40 degrees at face-off (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS2). The game was scheduled at night by design.
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"Everything's working as it should, and we're in good shape," said Derek King, NHL senior director of facilities operations and hockey operations. "You look at the weather app, and it's changing all the time. We have a plan."
This will be the 37th outdoor game the NHL has staged since 2003. The League has dealt with all kinds of conditions in all kinds of places -- from minus-6 degrees to 65 degrees at face-off; from sun to wind to rain; from Edmonton to Winnipeg to Nashville to Dallas -- and it has learned from each experience.
The NHL first used tarps to protect the ice during the day when the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Anaheim Ducks in the Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 25, 2014. That was the first NHL outdoor game in a warm-weather venue, and it was played at night. The temperature reached 77 that day, but it was down to 62 at face-off.
The tarps are silver on the surface to reflect sunlight. They insulate the ice, keeping it cold the way a pool cover keeps water warm. King said it was 85 degrees on top of the tarps as the sun heated them Wednesday, but it was 18 degrees underneath them.
"They work, and that's why we use them," King said.
Walking around the perimeter of rink, you could hear a sound similar to bubbling water. But it wasn't the ice melting, but rather glycol pumping through aluminum pans underneath the ice, withdrawing heat to be expelled by the Mobile Refrigeration Unit, a trailer outside the stadium with the same ice plant you would find in an indoor NHL rink.

At the base of the boards, you could see frost.
King has an app on his phone that gives him real-time data from sensors in the ice, in the pipes and on the truck.
"Temps are really good right now," King said.
The crew has been working since the Mobile Refrigeration Unit arrived here Feb. 6. It doesn't just put out a hose, flood the rink and freeze the water. It sprays a fine mist of water over and over again, the thin layers of ice ultimately creating a thick, dense sheet suitable for NHL competition.
The ice was about 1 1/2 inches thick Monday when the crew painted it white and laid the lines and logos, which are made of fabric. The NHL learned long ago not to paint the lines and logos, because dark colors attract sunlight even in cold weather. That can cause paint to run.
In the end, there will be 1 to 1 1/2 inches of ice atop the lines and logos, making the ice 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick in total.
"We want to protect the lines and logos," King said.
The crew worked overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, then laid down the tarps when the sun started to shine on the ice about 7 a.m. ET. The tarps were scheduled to be removed about 3:30 p.m. ET, when the sun was to leave the ice.
"Our goal tonight is to get about 5,000 gallons of water down, so we're looking at probably a 10-, 12-hour shift for that," King said. "That'll give us a good base over our lines and logos heading into the weather."

The crew will put down the tarps and remove them using the same timeline again Thursday. If rain falls Thursday night into Friday morning as forecast, the crew will freeze as much of the water as it can. If there is too much water, it will remove it to keep it from melting the ice underneath.
The forecast calls for the rain to stop early Friday afternoon. The Hurricanes are scheduled to skate at 4 p.m. ET, the Capitals at 6 p.m. ET.
The crew plans to put down the tarps and remove them on the same timeline yet again Saturday.
"That'll give us time to prepare for the game Saturday night," King said. "Temps look good. Night games are always good for us, instead of fighting the sun and hoping for clouds. I think right now we're heading in the right direction to have really good conditions."