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How Does the NHL Manage Outdoor Games?
Since 2003, the National Hockey League (NHL) has hosted 33 outdoor regular season games with two more on the schedule for this year. From 2003–2013, the outdoor games were held in cities with colder climates at the beginning of the coldest month of the year. Chicago, Boston, and Edmonton were some of the cities to host during that time period. In 2014, the NHL began experimenting with playing outdoor games in warmer climates when they held the very first Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Since then, the NHL has not shied away from playing outdoor games in warmer climates. In fact, the 2016 Stadium Series game between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche took place in temperatures of
65 degrees F. This year, the NHL plans to host an outdoor game in Nashville in late February when the temperature usually sits around 50 degrees F. It can be difficult to maintain ice in warmer climates, but the NHL has developed a foolproof method to ensure their players stay safe during any type of weather. To help the ice stay frozen, the NHL uses a revolutionary mobile refrigeration unit. Crews arrange aluminum trays across the football field or wherever the game is taking place. They then pump as much as 3,000 gallons of glycol coolant through the trays until they reach a temperature of 22 degrees F. After the ice reaches the ideal temperature, crews install rink boards. Lastly, they spray a fine mist of water across
the rink, which builds the ice sheet until it reaches a thickness of 2 inches. The ice at an indoor rink is usually only about an inch thick, but outdoor games require a thicker surface to handle the warmer temperature. The NHL also had to find ways to manage much larger crowds at outdoor games. The record for the largest crowd at an NHL game is 105,491 — which took place outdoors at Michigan Stadium in 2014. The average attendance for indoor games is around 20,000 for most teams. Luckily, they usually get an extra hand from volunteers and the staff that regularly works at these venues.
You can catch outdoor games this season on Feb. 22 and March 13.
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