Trying to prepare for the Winter Classic in summer temperatures



… the ice will be solid

At 1 a.m. today, the temperature in Pittsburgh was 65 degrees, down about ten from the high on Friday. The June temps this week had the NFL and Penquin planners uncomfortable playing an outdoors game until they saw that they were being issued a reprieve.

By the end of tonight's game at Heinz Field, the temperatures may be in the low 30s, not exactly what the NHL ordered, but close enough. And a 40-degree drop from the prior day.

Challenges in an outdoors game

A story in the Post-Gazette this week outlined the challenges that the NHL was facing with the heat. "The temperature of the ice, though, is where it needs to be: 22.5 degrees, with a quarter-inch already made and three-eighths more on the way Tuesday night. Ice, typically, is about three-quarters of an inch thick, meaning there should be only about one-eighth of an inch left to spray down between Wednesday and Friday, when teams are set to practice," Sean Gentile wrote.

Dan Craig, the NHL VP of Facilities Operations for the NHL, was in town to oversee the preparations for tonight's game between the Penguins and the dastardly Philadelphia Flyers.

Craig awakened during the night to check on the temperatures via an app that monitors the ice in all of the outdoor games.

Saturday temps

I have been following the decline in temperatures all day on the Accu-Weather website, and by the end of the game it will be about 33. That is not perfect, but it will be much better than they anticipated.

However, the bad news is that rain is predicted for game time, which will make the fans think that they are at a Steeler game, not a hockey battle.

Nevertheless, a win against the despised team from across the state will be important for Coach Mike Sullvan and his squad. They are in second place behind the Capitals in the Eastern Conference, and they want to earn those two points to keep within striking distance of the Caps.

So, for now, the ice condition is predicted to be much better than the NHL anticipated earlier in the week.

Now, the only challenge is to win the game and send those nasty dudes crawling back to Philly.



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