Sage-Tips

What is underneath NHL ice?

The markings (lines, circles, creases, etc.) are painted onto a half-inch thick sheet of ice, which is sprayed onto a concrete floor that has frozen pipes imbedded. An additional coating is applied to secure the markings and build the ice up to the prescribed thickness. Why is the red line broken?

What are the layers of the hockey rink?

Three layers; base ice-water-top ice. The water in between the two ice layers will then start to freeze and expand as it does so. As it expands, it can only expand up into the fresh ice, therefore causing the “lifting” of the fresh top ice layer and making it bumpy and/or uneven again which is called “shale ice”.

What is the barrier around an ice rink called?

The wooden barriers erected around natural ice surfaces for early hockey games gave the modern feature their name, the boards. Modern rink boards are no longer made of wood, but are a composite plastic construction to ensure truer bounces of the puck when deflected or shot into their surface.

How thick is the ice in hockey arenas?

one inch
The first few layers are painted with the hockey markings and the advertisements that you see on (or more correctly “in”) the ice. These layers are then covered with 8 to 10 more thin layers of ice. When complete, the ice is only one inch thick!

What does a Zamboni cost?

As the sizes and options of the Zamboni machines vary greatly according to each ice arena’s individual needs, so does the price. The Model 100 (a small tractor pulled unit) may be in the neighborhood of $10,000.00 or more and the full-sized machines can be up to or in the low six figures.

How many layers of water does it take to make an ice rink?

Three layers; base ice-water-top ice. The water in between the two ice layers will then start to freeze and expand as it does so.

Why is ice rink white?

Layering Ice It freezes almost immediately when it hits the cold floor. Then, more super-thin layers are applied. They are painted white to contrast with the black puck, and lines and logos are also painted on.

What are face off circles used for?

This is the 15-foot circle in the center of the rink that is used for faceoffs to start the game, each period and after a goal is scored. Only the two players participating in the faceoff are allowed inside the circle until the referee drops the puck.

How do they make hockey rinks so cold?

Underneath a hockey rink is cement, followed by a piping system designed to keep the ice stable and cold. This is how you can have a great ice surface in the middle of summer, or in southern states of the US.

What is the difference between indoor and outdoor hockey rinks?

Indoor hockey rinks have a concrete floor with piping inside for refrigerants so that the ice can be made. Outdoor rinks, in areas cold enough to have natural ice can be on a concrete or asphalt pad, or on level ground, with boards around the ice surface. Some people put down a tarp over the grass or dirt, but it isn’t necessary.

Why do ice hockey rinks need to be insulated?

The temperature of the ground underneath the ice can affect the ice surface as much as the rink’s temperature, so the ice has to be insulated and protected from ground temperature as much as it needs to be cooled to the right amount of freeze, itself. Skaters and players care about the temperature of the ice.

What is the best way to build an outdoor ice rink?

Outdoor rinks, in areas cold enough to have natural ice can be on a concrete or asphalt pad, or on level ground, with boards around the ice surface. Some people put down a tarp over the grass or dirt, but it isn’t necessary. Just keep building up layers of ice by flooding with a garden hose.