TAMPA, Fla. – There is no question the NHL’s 45th outdoor game was going to be a unique event regardless of what Mother Nature had in store. That is why the league enlisted the services of Winnipeg-headquartered GNB Global to construct an air-conditioned tent at Raymond James Stadium for Sunday evening’s Stadium Series match between the Lightning and Bruins.
No one in their right mind had reason to expect the temperature outside the tent may be well below the 50-something reading the air inside the tent has been cooled to. Those working inside have been and will continue to go about ice-making preparations this week.
“I think the cold will add to the hockey atmosphere,” said Chris Parker, who along with his wife, Keri, were Lightning season ticket holders for 20 years beginning with the inaugural 1992-93 campaign and will be part of a group attending the game. “It will also be good for the condition of the ice. We are really looking forward to what should be an awesome atmosphere, and it will feel like hockey weather.”
READ: Covered And Cool: Stadium Series Rink Begins To Take Shape
Multiple forecasts have Sunday’s high temperature peeking at 43 with a low of 31, the latter taking place early morning when the roughly 10-hour chore of disassembling the tent is scheduled to commence. The idea was to limit exposing the ice to the elements as much as possible, though that may not be much of a factor given the forecast. In other words, the league and all concerned are likely to receive a tremendous bonus.
The lowest high temperature in Tampa’s recorded history for February 1 was 46 degrees in 1900, according to weather.gov.
The all-time low was 27 in 1909. Overnight/early morning lows for the rest of the week are expected to be in the 30s. The high on Friday might sneak up close to 70, which may be as warm as it gets the rest of the week.
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