Pictures of new ice sheet @ XL

[ct06111]

XL Center gets NHL ready ice sheet

 

[huskymike]

What is/was the difference from the ice they had vs being "NHL ready?"

 

[ct06111]

What is/was the difference from the ice they had vs being "NHL ready?"

The system the civic center had was from the whalers days so it was getting really old and tired. One if not the few remaining ice making systems out there from the 70s still being used for professional sports. Old rusted steel piping was leaking all the time and chillers/other systems were getting harder to find parts and maintain.

I think it order to service them as well, there was a huge 6 foot deep tunnel going from bench to penalty box that also made the ice inconsistent.
Due to the leaking, that tunnel partially flooded. Also parts of the ice was also getting slushy and had some real bad spots at times.

"NHL ready" is that it has over 10 miles of new steel piping instead of PVC/plastic piping that 1 billion $ Barclays home of NHL islanders refuses to upgrade. Players hate the ice there and have gotten injured and the puck bounces like crazy. So much, that most want to be traded. Hardly stays cold enough and has humidity issues. Barclays has more of a Disney on ice system vs a NHL system.

Hartford is getting a NHL like system not a Disney on ice one like Barclays. The consulting/engineering group SCI that is helping with potential 250 mill renovations is overseeing this ice making system project. They were part of the MSG renovations and many others including Webster Bank Arena in bridgeport

SCI Architects

I talked to them at public hearing about the renovations and they 1st quoted a lower tiered system, but decided to quote and purchase a top tier or NHL ready if you will system.

One problem I heard is that although getting new piping, the chillers are still the old carrier systems from whaler days. I think until they do the renovations, there was no room to upgrade to updated chillers. I think they have a spot for them in a different part of the arena if the renovations go through.

Also I believe they are adding new dasher boards and hopefully seamless glass as well replacing the old ones.

 

[MHA2919]

I can confirm that there will be new dasher boards and glass for the coming season.

As for the ice sheet (in truth, the piping underneath), the replacement was necessary. Never mind the fact it's an NHL approved system, I heard through some people that work at the XL Center that the ice was so bad at times last year there was real fear there would be enough of a problem where a game or games would have to be postponed or moved to another facility.