Heritage Classic ice surface nearing completion

EDMONTON -- The outdoor ice surface at Commonwealth Stadium transformed into a hockey rink on Wednesday, when the lines and logos were laid down ahead of the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX).

The crew, which has been working with NHL senior director of hockey operations and facilities operations Mike Craig, began making the ice earlier in the week, when temperatures in Edmonton dropped to below freezing.

“We’ll paint the ice white, which is a water-based paint, and [Wednesday] everything will be completely white, and then we can start putting the lines and logos down,” Craig said Tuesday. “We’ll build up the ice a little bit, and [Wednesday] is a lines and logos day, and all of it is a special design fabric inlay.”

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The goal crease, face-off dots, lines and logos are all made of fabric, which are laid down by hand, sprayed and frozen into the ice. The crew completed the top layers of the ice surface by adding another three-fourths of an inch to its thickness.

“We used to paint the lines and we fully transitioned to that fabric probably about 8-10 years ago,” Craig said. “It goes in a little bit quicker, and there’s a few other benefits to it, just as far as the sun goes and those kind of things. It’s a little bit more resilient.”

With the markings in place, the crew will begin to install the glass around the boards on Thursday. Then on Friday, they will be ready to break in the new ‘green’ ice by allowing the first skaters on it.

That all leads up to Saturday, when the Oilers and Flames will practice and host a family skate ahead of the game on Sunday.

“Green ice means that it’s brand-new and hasn’t been skated on,” Craig said. “Ahead of our practices on Saturday, we have a couple of little skates, including a media skate on Friday night, so that’s going to help break it in for us on Saturday.”