In less than two weeks, the latest edition of the Stadium Series will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The Tampa Bay Lightning will face off against their rivals, the Boston Bruins, in front of a crowd that could exceed 70,000.
The rink is under construction, and large equipment is being brought in to help prepare the ice. Lightning reporter Eduardo Encina for the Tampa Bay Times shared a sneak peek with some video and pictures from inside the stadium.
In the first photo, the grass that the NFL’s Buccaneers play on has been removed. The rink is placed as close to midfield as possible, since the design of the stadium is centered around a particular viewing experience, and the rink has to take that into account.
The view should be better here than the Winter Classic held in Miami earlier this month, where the ice was placed close to the home plate side of the field, so if you were seated in the ‘outfield’, you were quite far away. Although that can’t be helped in a baseball stadium.
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Lightning captain Victor Hedman is naturally excited, regardless of his health status. “It’s going to be a dream come true,” he said, per Lightning writer Benjamin Pierce.
Will he play? So far, it’s looking good. Head coach Jon Cooper mentioned on Tuesday that Hedman, along with Ryan McDonagh and Emil Lilleberg, have all been getting on the ice. Even though there’s no guarantee that they’ll be back in time for this game, it’s a promising sign.
How Will the Stadium Series Ice Stay Cold?
Tampa is no different from the outdoor games previously held in Miami and Los Angeles, where the weather is warm. It’s one of those cities where it can be either 30 Fahrenheit (-1 Celsius) or 80 Fahrenheit (about 26 Celsius) on Feb. 1.
It was in the 40s last week, but this weekend the temperature is expected to go up to 79. Next week, the lows are expected back in the 30s and 40s, but those are usually reached around 4 or 5 a.m. It’s going to be warmer at 6:30 p.m., when the puck is scheduled to drop. All of this is being taken into account.
Encina posted a couple of videos on social media of two refrigerator trucks. The two Florida games, according to Encina, are the first time that two will have been used.
It’s important to get the ice right, since there should be a good turnout. Many Quebecers and Michiganders spend their winters in Tampa and St. Petersburg, while Miami and Fort Lauderdale house New Yorkers and Ontarioans (unless they’re down south for MLB Spring Training; then they’re on the other coast).
Taking on these outdoor games is a tall task for the NHL, and it requires more than two refrigeration units to make sure the ice surface is viable. Earlier this month, the NHL released a video, with some overly dramatic music, of the tent that will be constructed over the rink to freeze and maintain the ice ahead of the game.
Over six hours on gameday, the league will remove the tent and decorate the field for the event. This behemoth of a tent is what the NHL claimed gave them the confidence to host the game in Tampa. The Lightning have wanted this game for years. They just finally had the right sales pitch.
This game might have been held at Tropicana Field, where the Lightning played from 1993-94 until 1995-96, but given that the stadium still hasn’t been fully repaired, even with the roof back on, it’s not an option despite its storied hockey history.
There is a plan in place, and the NHL is starting to make sure everything goes smoothly in the first outdoor NHL game in a Florida football field. There will be test after test to see how the ice takes shape, and hopefully, all will be ready for puck drop on Feb. 1.
