Building a temporary outdoor rink can be a challenge. “You try to stay ahead of Mother Nature, but Mother Nature always seems to win,” says Dan Craig, the National Hockey League’s senior director of facilities operations. “It doesn’t matter what she does; we have to adapt as we go.” This month, that means bringing a rink to Busch Stadium. He’s bracing himself for anything from a snowstorm to an unexpected heat bump. “The rink is basically the crown jewel of everything that happens there.”
Illustration by Todd Detwiler
1. The crew begins by putting down tarps to protect the grass. 2. Double ¾-inch plywood forms a rigid base, or stage, that sits 6 inches to a foot off the ground. 3. Approximately 240 ice pans, specially made aluminum panels full of piping, are set from one end of the rink to the other. 4. The crew runs the piping from the field to the world’s largest refrigeration unit in a 53-foot trailer located 630 feet away. In total, more than 1,300 feet of piping is used. 5. A 2-inch layer of ice is created, requiring 10,600 gallons of water per inch. 6. The ice stays cool with the help of a refrigeration system. Every minute, 750 to 1,000 gallons of ethylene glycol runs in pipes beneath the rink floor, collecting heat and returning to a 53-foot compressor trailer that contains ammonia, which consumes heat from the warmed glycol. The glycol returns to the ice, and the process begins again. 7. Before the game, the ice is covered with thermal blankets while the sun is up.
Illustration by Todd Detwiler
A 10- to 14-person crew works at least 16 hour days for 10 to 12 days to establish the rink. Another 30 to 40 people provide ice decking and manage roadways.
Illustration by Todd Detwiler
A standard hockey rink is 200 by 85 feet, or 17,000 square feet. The playing field at Busch Stadium is 140,473 square feet.
