Stadium Series ice truck arrives ahead of Capitals-Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. --The NHL mobile refrigeration truck rolled onto the concourse at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday, the first step toward the build out of the rink for the
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The outdoor game will take place Feb. 18, when the Carolina Hurricanes play the Washington Capitals on the campus of North Carolina State University (8 p.m.; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS2).
"You'll see it all coming together tomorrow," said Derek King, NHL senior director, facilities operations & hockey operations. "Once the field is covered, they'll build the stage deck where the arena floor is going to sit. Once the piping is complete, probably by Friday, we look to be on schedule to start making ice."
Playing an outdoor game in a warm-weather climate is nothing new for the NHL, so King doesn't expect weather to be a factor in the 12 days leading up to the game. However, the average February high temperature in Raleigh is 54 degrees, which dictates when the work can be done.
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"We know with the warmer climate and the sun out during the day, we won't be doing a lot of work," King said. "A lot of the ice making will take place overnight. We will cover the ice during the day."
Rain is the most likely meteorological glitch the crew would face.
"A warm rain makes things a little tougher," King said. "We've got certain capacities on the truck. If we do get any rain, we will freeze what we can with the truck. If we can't freeze it, we will just squeegee it off."
The 14-person crew will work in two groups, making the two-inch thick sheet of ice over five days beginning Tuesday. Before the ice can be produced, the crew has another task. Because the ice truck could not be situated at field level, scaffolding has been erected near the truck to carry the flexible pipe from the concourse level to field level. A separate truck filled with 20- and 50-foot lengths of pipe is parked next to the ice truck.

"It's a longer run for us, and we're obviously going up a pretty steep elevation, so it just takes us a little bit more time to put everything together," King said. "We've seen that before and there's really no issues."
Once the pipes are in place, the two refrigerants begin flowing through a booster bump before settling into the aluminum floor to start the freezing process. The flooding of the rink, which takes about seven days, is expected to begin Thursday or Friday.
With the added build out, King counts extra hands-on deck.
"The crew isn't just 14 ice guys," he said. "Everyone's got a skill set. I've got a refrigeration mechanic who looks after the truck. I've got a guy who's a mechanic who looks after our ice resurfacers. A lot of us have a background doing piping. I've got plumbers on staff, some pipe fitters. Then we have a group of laborers who will come out and help us. They will be people from Raleigh."
By game night, the football home of N.C. State will be ready to host the 37th NHL regular-season outdoor game and first in North Carolina. Capacity is expected to be close to 51,500.
"A lot of planning goes into this, so it's great to get here and to get this going," King said. "It will be more exciting once the boards are up and we're actually going to start flooding. That's when you see everything come together.
"It's a great stadium, so it's definitely going to be an exciting time."