NHL Outdoor Rink Construction in Florida: Ice Experts Weigh In

Building an Outdoor Ice Rink in Florida

• 🏒 Crews are constructing an outdoor hockey rink at Raymond James Stadium for the NHL game between the Lightning and the Boston Bruins.
• 💡 It took years for the NHL to prepare for making ice in Tampa.

Ice Maintenance Experts

• ❄️ Experts Kevin Gibson and Tyler Urba from Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, the largest facility in the Southeast, shared their insights.
• ⛸️ They manage five rinks for hockey, figure skating, and curling, emphasizing the need to keep the ice level and not too thick for optimal cooling and skating.
• 🌪️ Their facility faced challenges during Hurricane Milton, which caused a power outage that melted all five ice sheets, requiring them to redo the ice.

Outdoor Rink Challenges

• 🏟️ Gibson and Urba are impressed by the undertaking of building an outdoor rink in Florida.
• 🌧️ They identified rain and water as potentially more difficult challenges than humidity for an outdoor rink.
• ✅ Despite the challenges, they believe the event will be awesome for the Tampa Bay area.

Beyond the Stadium Game

• 🏆 While the NHL game takes place, Gibson and Urba will be busy managing their own ice for an indoor tournament.
• 📺 The video also mentions an upcoming episode of "Thunder Zone" discussing the NHL's stadium series experience, the Lightning's recent wins, and a game day perspective with Thunderbug's assistant.