TAMPA, Fla. – As the league’s ice crew was meticulously placing the fabric for the lines and logos early Thursday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, the temperature reading at nearby Tampa International Airport was 62 degrees with a dewpoint that was all of 28 percent. Welcome to Tampa, hockey fans!
Not that crew members were celebrating in the form of snow angels on the ice within the climate-controlled tent that was erected last week. Though the afternoon was lovely – perfect for a Bucs game — and the forecast for the duration of the week, and certainly for Sunday’s Stadium Series match (6:30, ESPN) between the Lightning and Bruins, is lovelier as far as the crew is concerned, there is much work to be accomplished.
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Not to mention the hope that Mother Nature does not decide to suddenly deviate from a forecast that includes 40 degrees – 40! – at puck drop, well after the mercury plunges to near freezing prior to sunrise Sunday morning. In other words, folks, it will not warm up much. Such temps are far below the average February 1 high and low for Tampa of 72/54.
“Obviously, we didn’t know what to expect,” said Derek King, the NHL’s vice president of hockey operations, whose hands have been beyond full for months with the bevy of details in preparing for this event. “There was a lot of planning leading up to this game. Having a tent has allowed us to stay on schedule and we are looking ahead to the weather on game. Everything has gone as planned, so we are really happy.”
He was undoubtedly happy with the swift progress made with the installation of lines, logos and the goalie creases Thursday afternoon. A sheet of ice that was 1 ½ inches thick will be topped off by another inch of ice to, if you will, seal in the fabric. (Fabric is preferred because paint could run with minimal sun exposure even in ideal temperatures.) That will bring the thickness to 2 ½ inches and provide a buffer in case it is determined a quarter of an inch, for example, needs to be shaved off during an intermission of Sunday’s game.
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The gameplan was to disassemble the tent over a roughly 10-hour period beginning Sunday morning and not exposing the rink to the elements until mere minutes prior to game time. Because of how chilly it will be, and of a near record-breaking variety for Tampa, the timetable may be altered.
“It is going to be cooler than expected, so for us that is really good,” said King. “It allows us to kind of dial in the refrigerator units that are outside (the tent) and we will look at what we can to get ahead (of schedule) for gameday.”
Not that everything will revolve solely around the timing of the tent’s removal. There are plenty of other moving parts, literally, to consider such as the Gasparilla-themed décor and entertainment-related fixtures that need to be moved into place. That said, any window of opportunity will be appreciated with respect to disassembling the tent.
“If we could move up the dismantle, it is something that we are definitely going to look at,” said King, whose crew will work through Friday to have the rink ready for Saturday’s practice sessions.
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