Heritage Classic rink build 'in a comfortable spot' for Oilers, Flames

EDMONTON -- A snowstorm and sudden drop in temperature did not set Mike Craig and his crew back in construction of the outdoor rink for the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in advance of the game between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, TBS, Max).

In fact, the temperature dip and snowfall Tuesday worked out perfectly.

"We were in a comfortable spot as far as everything goes in our production schedule," said Craig, the NHL senior director of facilities operations. "We took those few hours we needed to remove the snow and the crew that was here last night caught us back up and we were able to get back on schedule."

The snowfall coincided with a drop in temperatures from a high of 51 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday to a low of 16 F on Monday.

"On our side, we were very lucky," Craig said. "During the warm time we were working on the construction of the rink, so it was a very nice temperature to work outside. Then once the temperatures started to dip down, that became the ice-making time for us. Everything as far as that goes has been, honestly, perfect."

Craig and his crew had the boards in place Monday and the first layers of ice down when it started to snow early in the morning. By the end of the day, the snow was all gone.

On Tuesday, the crew was scheduled to paint the entire surface white, and Wednesday, they will add the markings, including the logos and lines.

"The ice is now at about an inch-and-a-half thick," Craig said. "When we go through a production schedule, we kind of give ourselves a little bit of room for weather events such as what happened (Monday). Really, we continuously removed the snow from 7 a.m. until around 1 p.m. and then once it stopped snowing, we were really able to get back at it."

The temperature remained below freezing Tuesday hovering at around 15 F, and it did not snow. The forecast is expected to be just above freezing at puck drop for the game.

"I think, looking at the forecast right now, everything looks really nice," Craig said. "The game is scheduled for just after 5 p.m. (MT), so the sun won't be an issue for us if it's sunny that day. Ideally, if it's calm, cloudy and cool right around freezing or just above, for outdoor hockey that seems to be perfect for us."

Craig said the thickness of the ice will be between two and two-and-half inches by the time it is ready to be used. Both teams will practice on it Saturday. Media members are also invited to skate on it Friday to help break in what is referred to as 'green' ice.

"I think at this point, we're probably 150 floods now and each flood we do is probably 100 gallons," Craig said of the ice. "We need to be at about 20,000 gallons, so it'll be about 200 floods from start to finish."

The outdoor ice surface will be slightly different from what players are used to in an indoor arena, which takes an adjustment period.

"Because the rink is built on a stage, it sounds a little bit different," Craig said. "So that's good for [the players] to get used to the surroundings and that and it's good for us to just kind of see how everything is going to react from the players and coaches and make some adjustments and go from there."

Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse played in the 2016 Heritage Classic at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg where Edmonton defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Oct. 23. He was quick to notice the difference at that rink as opposed to an indoor one.

"It's the angles, your eyes play tricks on you," Nurse said. "All of sudden, you're in the middle of a football stadium and the boards come at you a little quicker than you're used to when really there is no difference in the size of the ice. But we get a couple of practices out there to be able to dial that in."

Craig will collaborate with the teams and players in order to have conditions perfected by the time the puck drops Sunday. 

"That's why we have the practices when we do, to emulate game-time," Craig said. "Our game-time is at 5 and our first practice is at 4:30, which is right around warmup for our game day, so it's a really good chance for them to see the conditions at night and the same for us as well."