NHL Winter Classic ice construction begins at Target Field in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic moved another step closer with the arrival of the ice plant at Target Field on Friday.

The 53-foot trailer, the world's largest mobile refrigeration unit, houses the state-of-the-art ice-making and ice-monitoring equipment being used to create an NHL-caliber sheet of ice for the outdoor game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 1 (7 p.m. ET; TNT, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE).
"We are getting close. It's exciting for sure," said Mike Craig, NHL senior manager of facilities operations and hockey operations. "It's fun every time. It really is. Every stadium we go to is unique, special. But I just love being in the middle of big stadiums like this. Knowing we're able to bring everyone together and play hockey outside is still very special."
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The refrigeration unit houses every component needed to run a sheet of ice at an NHL rink. With the unit in place, crews are working to secure the decking before installing the piping for the field, followed by filling the system and circulating it beginning Dec. 20 to create ice and form a rink.
Craig said the weather conditions should be optimal for building ice. Forecasts call for temperatures in Minneapolis to remain below freezing for the next 14 days, with highs projected in the 20s for nine days. It was mostly cloudy with a high of 22 degrees Friday.
"[What we want is] really very close to freezing, right around there, clouded if we can," Craig said. "Anything close to freezing is ideal. That way we have the opportunity to run our truck and equipment the way it's meant to and have full control of what's going on."

Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said frigid temperatures give outdoor hockey a unique feel.
"NHL arenas are awesome and everything like that," said Spurgeon, who has a lower-body injury and is hoping to play in the Winter Classic, "but to be outside again with a packed stadium is a little different, and all that they're putting into it around it as well with the rinks behind it and the concerts and how big of a show it is. It's pretty special."
To transform the home of baseball's Minnesota Twins into a hockey setting, Craig and his team began work Friday on the main ice sheet and surrounding auxiliary rinks, which will simulate mini pond hockey rinks. The field, dubbed Lake Winter Classic, will eventually house eight pond hockey rinks and other Minnesota staples: a log cabin, fishing holes, lumberjacks and a makeshift dock serving as the entertainment stage.
The Wild (19-8-2), who are in first place in the Central Division, had their game scheduled for Saturday against the Florida Panthers postponed because of COVID-19 concerns surrounding the Panthers.
Minnesota forward Nick Bjugstad stressed the importance of the Wild being safe during the coming weeks.
"Obviously this is a big event, and you don't want a lot of the team to go down to where it couldn't happen," said Bjugstad, who is from nearby Blaine, Minnesota. "So we definitely as a team, we had a conversation and we're going to try to be as safe as possible going forward regardless of the outdoor game, and just more in honor of our regular season. It's a tough deal right now with a lot of cancellations, so you just have got to take the best precaution you can as a player."
The Winter Classic will be Bjugstad's fourth outdoor game. He participated in Hockey Day Minnesota in 2008 with Blaine High School and the 2013 Hockey City Classic with the University of Minnesota, and played in the 2019 NHL Stadium Series with the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
He said he is looking forward to playing an NHL outdoor game so close to home.
"It's pretty cool to be able to wear a Wild sweater in the first place, and to be able to do it on outdoor ice is a dream for me," Bjugstad said. "Every little kid in Minnesota wants to play for the Wild for the most part. It's a great culture and great tradition here. …
"Minnesotans love their outdoor hockey, so I can't wait."