The Battle Against Humidity

As I watched the Maple Leafs and Panthers tonight before the pivotal Game Two content between Dallas and Winnipeg, I was struck by something that might become more of an issue now than when the regular season was being played. Obviously, the month of May is when the winter weather begins to recede in Canada, giving way to double-digit, positive temperatures and the clear distinction of summer. For the Maple Leafs and Panthers, playing in Sunrise likely means warmer weather no matter what season we're in, but it seems that the puck was bouncier than the games played in Toronto.

Jared Dupre, the ice technician at PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes, told The Athletic's Joshua Kloke and James Mirtle in 2020, "The humidity affects the ice surface more than anything else. You want that snow to be light and airy."

The snow to which Dupre is referring is the snow that accumulates on the ice as the game progresses. Most players don't really care for the snow other than having it cleared, but Dupre added that if the snow isn't light and airy, "it starts to stick and it affects the puck."

According to weather reports today, the humidity in Sunrise, Florida was around 55%. Anything around that range is considered high for NHL rinks - "Dupre said typically humidity levels should be below 45 percent" - so there would need to be a reduction in humidity inside the arena as both the temperature and humidity rise outside. As you likely know, as the sun goes down, the relative humidity will go up in the atmosphere, and we saw the humidity at game time reach 70% in Sunrise. Clearly, those conditions make things much harder on the arena's ice staff with that amount of humidity in the environment.

When the doors open for the game, the balance between the humidity inside and the outside of the building gets disrupted, and having 18,000 warm bodies breathing in and out after being out in the sun will certainly affect the internal temperature of the rink which, in turn, affects the humidity inside the building. As such, many arenas have both indistrial air conditioners and dehumidifiers on the top of the buildings and will invest in adding more for the playoffs. Several arenas have done so already this season.

An upgraded dehumidification system one of the solutions employed by the New York Islanders during their run at the Barclays Center where players regularly complained about the ice conditions.

"In preparation for upcoming home games we are working closely with the National Hockey League and have installed a temporary dehumidification system, commonly used at arenas during warmer months, in order to provide the best possible ice for Islanders players," Barclays Center spokesman Barry Baum announced in 2016, according to the New York Daily News. "We are committed to delivering a first-class experience for players and fans."

So how is that done, you ask?

The late Don MacMillan, who was the ice supervisor for the Carolina Hurricanes prior to Dupre, told Melissa Russell-Ausley of howstuffworks.com that "he likes to 'keep the skating surface at 24 to 26 F (about -4 C), the building temperature at about 63 F (17 C), and the indoor humidity at about 30 percent. But if it's warm outdoors and we have an event where the doors are open and all that warm air comes in, then we have to adjust it. Even one degree can make a big difference in the quality of the ice.'"

Not surprisingly, four of the top five rinks named in the NHLPA player's poll in 2018 as having the worst ice came from cities where sub-zero temperatures and higher humidities are common.

In saying that, it make sense then that if the building is warmer and/or more humid, the ice will be worse. In turn, the frozen chunk of rubber that's supposed to slide on it may also get a little warmer, leading to a non-frozen puck around the surface of the puck. Non-frozen rubber has the tendency to bounce when it hits something hard, and that may be the right combination for why the puck seemed to bounce more to me. Or maybe it's just me?

In any case, I know the NHL ice crews across the league do their best to try and create the perfect ice conditions each and every game, so no one will fault them if the doors open the conditions inside the arena change within minutes. There were a few deflectons, ricochets, and rebounds that looked like they had a little extra kick to them, and it made me wonder if the pucks may be thawing out quicker thanks to increased humidity in the building.

I will say this likely needs a bigger discussion, so I'm going to reach out to a few people who may know more about cooling an arena for optimal hockey conditions than I ever will. If possible, I may devote an entire episode of The Hockey Show to this if someone wants to join us to discuss ice conditions in the NHL. Or in hockey in general.

Either way, Florida grabbed an important win tonight to cut the series deficit against Toronto to 2-1. Game Four goes Sunday night where the Panthers can make this a best-of-three series or the Maple Leafs can return home needing one win to advance to the Conference Final. It should be a beauty regardless of the bounces!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!