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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Hockey in California isn’t quite like anywhere else. Only one day remains before the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings take to the ice in the Stadium Series at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It’s 70 degrees in the early afternoon. Both teams are here, and will get chances to test the ice later today for a practice session and an opportunity to skate with their families as well.
The Stadium looks great. Everywhere you look, staff are putting on the finishing touches; the sound system, lights, foggers, security, grounds and decorum, among others.
It’s been several days in the making. On February 9, the trucks arrived to begin to convert a state of the art football stadium into an ice hockey rink. About 200 workers performed the transformation, readying the field laying plywood, then 243 custom made aluminum trays that circulate coolant to form the ice. The trays are linked to a semi truck with a specially built refrigeration unit.
Then 3,600 gallons of glycol coolant, which is similar to the coolant in cars, is circulated through the trays. Glycol removes heat as it is circulated, similar to a home refrigerator.
Then, over about a three day period, staff begin to develop the ice surface. This includes chilling the aluminum trays to about 22 degrees fahrenheit. Similar to a push broom, but about eight feet long, a sprayer is pushed along the surface by a person, who will make several hundred passes. The water is sprayed in a fine mist until the ice is about 1 ¾ inches thick. This is about a half-inch thicker than indoor ice, which compensates for it being outdoors. At some point before the ice is completed, 350 gallons of nontoxic biodegradable paint is used to make the ice white.
An interesting note is the fact that the water used is reclaimed water (approximately 20,000 gallons) and following the game will be filtered out and recycled back into Levi Stadium supplies. This is great news in recognition of the severe drought that California is experiencing right now.
On game day, staff will continue to monitor the ice via their iPhones to ensure the ice remains at optimum temperatures.
Levi’s Stadium was finished in August 2014 and is one of the world’s best outdoor sports and entertainment venues. Home to the San Francisco 49ers football team, the $1.2 billion venue seats approximately 68,500 fans, with 15 luxury suites and 8,500 club seats.
The stadium builders used reclaimed and recycled products whenever available and isn’t surprising that it uses reclaimed water for both potable and nonpotable uses such as the playing field irrigation water.
On either end of the stadium, large HD video boards will play the highlights for fans.
The game on February 21, will be the fifth installment of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, all of which were sold out. This game is no different, as it was announced this morning that it was sold out as well. In excess of 69,000 fans will fill this stadium tomorrow, and the game will be telecast in the U.S. and Canada.
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