Newsday.com ran an article today about possible 2010 sites for the Winter Classic, listing New York, Boston, Las Vegas, and the Rose Bowl as possible sites. Wait, Las Vegas and the Rose Bowl? How could California or Nevada possibly handle an outdoor rink? Well, it’s already been done. Though it’s no longer widely known or publicized, an exhibition game took place between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings in front of the Caesar’s Palace hotel on September 27th, 1991. The Kings beat the Rangers 5-2.
How could ice survive in Las Vegas weather outside? According to a New York Times article published in 1991, it was done the same way the NHL is making it happen today: lots of refrigeration.
Among other things, hardboard insulation coated with a vapor barrier was laid down on the arena floor, then covered with sand to form the base for 22 miles of refrigeration tubes, five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, which circulated a mixture of super-cooled methanol and water.
Apparently it worked a little too well. The ice was too cold when it was first laid and kept cracking before adjustments were made.
The only weather problem was rain, which turned the surface into a lake Friday afternoon. But the imported Zamboni and the refrigeration system quickly restored the surface to game condition.
With the NHL’s recent $1 million investment in new refrigeration machines for outdoor games and a successful test run (albeit a test run that’s almost 20 years old), “undesirable” climates are still options for the annual novelty. I wonder why the league doesn’t talk about this game more frequently. Was it not televised? Are there no photos? I have to think this would be a good game to add to the legacy of outdoor NHL games.