Taking A Jaunt

Today's article will be very simple as I run down the activities we experienced while traveling to our destination on Jaunt. If you missed the first article on Jaunt that was posted on Friday, you can read it here. I recommend reading it so you get a sense of where this article is coming from as we run down the itinerary that we followed in flying from Winnipeg to Minneapolis/St. Paul. I'll also have some commentary on the main event from this flight - Jets vs. Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota - but this will give you an idea of what you will more than likely experience when flying to a unique event and destination with Jaunt.

Upon arriving at the terminal, I was welcomed by a number of people, most notably Marketing and Business Manager Dan Rutherford who was my contact on this adventure. He introduced me to Scott and Jon, our pilots for this adventure, and to Caleb, a videographer who would be accompanying us on the trip to document our adventure and produce a short marketing video for Jaunt. Caleb was extremely professional while working, but certainly was a joy to around on this trip.

Arriving next was one of the Jaunt prize winners in Cecil and Ellen. Cecil, a former pilot, and Ellen, his wife, entered to win a trip for two at a local flight conference. Despite being an older couple, these two amazing people made this trip a ton of fun with their enthusiasm, vibrancy, and positive attitude towards the entire experience. I have met many people in my travels, but these two wonderful people are the examples we should all strive to be.

If there was another couple who met the standard set by Cecil and Ellen, it was Dan and Jolene. Dan won the Jaunt experience through a contest run by TSN1290, and these two are a ton of fun. Dan had worked earlier in the day at his job and was due back at work on Sunday morning at 4am, so he was literally wedging this Jaunt trip in between shifts! In knowing this, he didn't take a shift off in this adventure, and was great to chat with about hockey and life as we made the trip. Jolene, a teacher, was a ball of positive energy, and she seemed to soak up every experience on this adventure as she was the envy of all of her students in the past week. These two were fantastic travel companions for the entire group, and I cannot say enough good things about the two couples on this Jaunt.

Joining Dan, Caleb, Cecil, Ellen, Dan, Jolene, and I was a man who really needs no introduction in Winnipeg thanks to his long history of being on the edge of breaking sports news in the Manitoba capital. TSN1290's Jim Toth was the final traveler to arrive, and Jim was an absolute pleasure to speak with on all topics. Through Jim, TSN1290 had been running the contest that Dan and Jolene won, so it was only fitting that the legend joined us on this adventure. Jim was certainly up to the task as everyone got a chance to chat with the local celebrity throughout the day.

After meeting all of these amazing people, lunch was served in the terminal as Jaunt had the meeting of their inaugural passengers catered by Stella's. They brought sandwiches, a cheese plate, and a fruit plate, and all of the food was incredible. Croissant sandwiches were light but tasty, and the assortment of cheeses and fruit met everyone`s tastes. As lunch wound down, Jon and Scott met us once more and began the boarding process as we were given instructions on the plane and about crossing the tarmac to our private aircraft. Let the adventure begin!

We boarded a King Air 200 Executive airplane, and you immediately felt like the flying elite. As per the seat plan, two sat in the front behind the pilots, four sat in the middle, and two sat in the rear of the plane as we taxied onto the runway. Like any airline, the room to maneuver in the plane was limited, but the seats were extremely comfortable and there was more than enough room in and around each seat to accommodate any passenger. Jim, who is rather tall, needed to stretch his legs out in front of him when the tray was used in front of him, but this is more of a detail than a quibble when it came to the comforts of this aircraft. Jon and Scott got us in the air quickly, and our jaunt to Minneapolis/St. Paul via Jaunt was underway!

The hour-and-a-half flight seemed pass very quickly as there was lively conversation among the eight of us. Snacks were provided on the plane, and there was an assortment of chips, granola bars, and other small offerings to accompany water, soft drinks, and coffee. About a half-hour prior to landing, Scott ensured that all passengers filled out their Customs forms in order to expedite getting clearance once we landed to enter the United States. As we began our descent into St. Paul, anticipation turned to excitement for the eight passengers!

We landed at St. Paul Downtown Airport which is a small airport used almost exclusively for private planes and charter flights. We taxied over to the restored and beautifully-historic St. Paul Airport Passenger Terminal which also houses US Customs. Just as Scott predicted, the Customs check was fast and efficient, and we were officially visitors in St. Paul, Minnesota at 3:45pm! From the old terminal, we moved to a newer terminal where we were greeted by a St. Paul tourism official who provided us some nice gifts, a representative from the St. Paul Airport, and our limousine driver! Ok, so it was an SUV, but it was still a waiting car for eight people who were ten minutes away from the Xcel Energy Center!

Our ride took us to the historic Saint Paul Hotel, a gorgeous old hotel that was quite literally far too elegant for a scrub like me. Everything inside felt like it was from Victorian times, right down to the afternoon tea that was wrapping up, and there was a massive wedding happening at the hotel which gave us an opportunity to see a number of lavishly dressed men and women preparing themselves for what looked to be a luxurious ceremony.

If you're reading this, Jolene, I'm sure you're still laughing about the young lady who walked past us and stared a hole through me like we were sworn enemies in nature. I'm not sure what I did to set this five year-old off, but if looks could kill I would have been six-feet under the hotel lobby floor.

I did enjoy the statues at Rice Park across from the Saint Paul Hotel. As you may know, famed Peanuts writer and illustrator Charles Schulz was from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and there were statues of his characters in the park. One such statue was of Woodstock and Lucy sitting on a bench, and many children and adults were sitting with Lucy to have their pictures taken with the iconic character. Stuff like this always makes me smile, and it's the kind of character pieces I wish more cities featured that reflect the values of the city, its heritage and history, and its people. Well done, Minneapolis/St. Paul!

From the hotel, we walked a few short blocks to the Xcel Energy Center where opening night for the 2016-17 Minnesota Wild season was in full swing. There was a tailgating party in a parking lot, there were hundreds of people on the streets and in the bars surrounding the arena, and there was certainly electricity in the air. As far as the eye could see, there were Wild and Jets jerseys all over the place. If anyone needed to know, we were definitely in the State of Hockey!

After exploring the tailgate party, the group headed inside to grab a meal prior to the 6pm CT start-time for the hockey game. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that Jaunt was picking up the tab for dinner, and everyone expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the gesture. In the itinerary we were provided, there was no mention about dinner being covered, so let's give credit to Jaunt for covering all the bases. The eight of us felt like royalty in a foreign land!

We arrived at our seats ten minutes prior to the start of the ceremonies, and I cannot commend Jaunt enough for the location of the seats. We sat in C26 on the 200 level in row eight. This is the row that has its backs to the concourse, and it is the best place to watch a game at Xcel Energy Center without doubt. The view is unobstructed and close enough to see everything, yet far enough back not to miss anything. We had a straight-on view of the massive scoreboard in front of us, and we were seated at center ice - yes, that's the view from my seat - with our backs to a number of concession stands and washrooms. In other words, these were the perfect seats in this writer's humble opinion.

If you watched the game, you watched the Jets show up for about five minutes in this game. They scored a pair of goals late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, only to squander that lead through the second period and trail 3-2 at the second intermission. The Wild made it 4-2 midway through the third period before Mark Scheifele scored with 18 seconds to play to make it 4-3 and far more respectable than the efforts shown by the Jets on this night. I'm not sure what the Jets were thinking throughout this game, but three shots in 30 minutes from the end of the third period to the midpoint of the third period is a good way to lose a lot of hockey games.

Let's give the Wild some credit as well as they capitalized on mistakes made by the Jets, and they played suffocating defence through the neutral and defensive zones. In other words, they played a good Western Conference game as we've seen Bruce Boudreau employ with the Anaheim Ducks over the last couple of years. Devan Dubnyk was steady if unspectacular, but the players in front of him were opportunistic and it got them the two points.

Pluses on the ice include Eric Staal and Matt Dumba who were all over the ice scoring goals and throwing hits. Minuses on the night included Drew Stafford and his infuriatingly weak play with the puck, Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor who always seem to make one move too many before coughing up the puck, and Alex Burmistrov who appears to have zero knowledge of how the Jets' systems work. Nikolaj Ehlers had a solid game for the Jets, but the bright spots were too few and far too dim to see. These two American stars spent some time chatting, though. No word on what the topic was.

Upon leaving the arena, I snagged a Minnesota Wild magnetic calendar which is a nice souvenir on the night to go along with the plastic beer cup I saved from my beverage. I will admit that it's not a t-shirt or jersey, but it's far more economical than the overpriced food and merchandise found at the Xcel Energy Center. I appreciate that the Minnesota Wild are a business, but when a soft pretzel and a beer cost $20 and a golf shirt is $70, you might want to rethink your pricing. Supply and demand suggest that you might be slightly overpriced. I want to watch Zach Parise and Ryan Suter play hockey, not personally fund their exorbitant contracts.

The ride back to St. Paul Downtown Airport was fairly low-key as it seemed like the events of the day began to catch up to us. The flight home saw a few people catch some zees, but I had a lively discussion with Jolene about traveling and some of the great places her and Dan have been. I was very impressed that they had attended the IIHF World Championships in Innsbruck, Germany in 2005! How cool is that? Jolene and I traded stories and money-saving ideas, and the flight home seemed much shorter than we had anticipated. Before we knew it, we were on the ground and exiting the aircraft as our journey with Jaunt had come to an end around 11:45pm. While it was nice to be back, the cooler weather when compared to Minneapolis/St. Paul's warmer weather was still a little shocking!

So that's how the day went down. Tomorrow, I'll be back with some thoughts on the day's travel and events where Jaunt did well, where they may need some improvement, and anything else that needs mentioning. While today felt like a blur with how fast everything went, the experience and the people won't soon be forgotten!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Define "Jaunt"

According to several dictionaries and Google's definition of the word, "jaunt" is defined as "a short excursion or journey for pleasure". I'm sure that many people have been on jaunts in their lives without knowing that they were as the word seems to be used less around me and in my circles. Regardless of the word's usage, I have been invited to experience Jaunt, the newest business idea out of the Winnipeg business- and executive-class airline Fast Air. Jaunt's entire goal is to provide distinctive travel experiences to its clients for a number of different occasions such as celebrations, client rewards, sports and music events, and much more. In other words, this will be a memorable trip to anywhere one wants to go for a short jaunt!

For the next three days, I will introduce you to Jaunt, attend and participate in one of their experiences, and give you my overall thoughts and comments on the experience. In full disclosure, they reached out to me as they were looking to get the word out about the new business venture with an offer, and I feel this experience is something that everyday folk like you and I may never have the chance of doing. My feedback and comments over the next three days are entirely my own thoughts and feelings about this experience, and I accepted nothing more than the experience offered to me by Jaunt in an effort to help market these unique experiences.

In other words, if something sucks about the experience, don't expect lipstick on a pig from me as I won't mince words. This is about the experience, and the company is not paying me nor are they soliciting any sort of favorable marketing quips. As you may have read before on this blog, if it's something that I don't like and I wouldn't use, why would I encourage others to like and/or use it? With that being written, let's take a look at Jaunt and its business.

Jaunt is an all-in-one service for those looking to attend distinctive events. Normally, Jaunt will take of everything: flight, accommodations, and the event. The airplane provided to your group will be one of Fast Air's business-class private planes, so you'll travel in style without any of the hassles of middle seats and cramped leg space as you'll find on commercial flights. The accommodation arrangements are usually close to the event site if necessary, but a number of events are same-day returns where you leave in the afternoon and return late in the evening.

So you're probably waiting with some anticipation for the news about what kind of events are offered. Jaunt already has some plans, so let's take a look at them.

As you can see, there are some pretty incredible events that Jaunt is planning. It should be noted that the price points per person listed above are based on the cost of a group of six people traveling to the events. This cost may come down if a group of eight travels to these events. The Boston Hockey Jaunt, for example, costs $1600 per person, and those costs include the return flight to and from Minneapolis/St. Paul on the same day, a limo to and from the airport to the XCel Energy Center in Minneapolis/St. Paul, tickets to see the Boston Bruins play the Minnesota Wild somewhere near center ice, and some eats prior to leaving at the terminal. Not bad, right?

The total costs may go up if two additional people attend the event due to needing additional tickets to the Bruins-Wild game, but the costs overall would be lower than the $1600-per-person pricing as the only additional costs incurred would be the extra tickets. So if eight people go to Boston instead of six, you may only pay $1400 per person as the costs get broken down over equal portions. Volume pricing works in your favor, so having a slightly larger group of people going to an event will result in some nice savings for each of your party.

Before you tell me I'm crazy and close this window, let's look at what you're getting on a piecemeal basis. We'll start with tickets to the game between the Bruins and Wild in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Jaunt offers unique experiences, so don't think you're sitting in the nosebleeds or in a corner at the rink. Tickets behind the players' benches at the XCel Energy Center will run you about $250 USD per ticket. Using today's exchange rate, that's a $328.50 ticket in Canadian funds. Per person.

Delta Airlines offers a flight to Minneapolis/St. Paul at 12:15pm on November 17 and a return flight to Winnipeg at 10:04pm. Leaving out the requirements to be at the airport an hour prior to check-in with the airline and all the security checks, your same-day return flight aboard Delta's commercial airline flight will set you back $830.10. Tack on another $200 USD for the ride to and from the arena to the airport, and that translates to another $262.80 CDN.

If you're doing the math and six people are booking their same-day trips to catch the Bruins and Wild battle on November 17, that's a total of $1421.40. Remember that the cost for the private plane, the rides to and from the arena, and the tickets through Jaunt is $1600 based on a six-person trip, and they take out all that extra airport time of check-ins and waiting for boarding calls. Would you be willing to spend $180 more for personalized, gate-to-gate service?

It becomes pretty clear to me that Jaunt is trying to make these excursions to amazing events as affordable as they can while providing some pretty nice perquisites. It almost sounds too good to be true, right? Well, tomorrow, I'll put this theory to the test as I travel to Minneapolis/St. Paul with Jaunt to take in the Minnesota Wild's home opener against the Winnipeg Jets. I will be taking a ton of photos and documenting the entire trip from start to finish when I arrive at the terminal at 1pm CT. I will write the article on the way home from the game via the chartered plane, and I'll post it sometime around 11:30pm CT upon landing.

So far, Jaunt's business plan and trip planning appear to be the real deal as they are very competitive with their pricing when compared to booking each piece individually. Tomorrow, we'll see if the theory works in a real-world practice!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 212

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced hockey radio show, returns tonight with a bit of a different show. We rarely talk about hockey cards being that we're all in our 30s and that sort of thing passed us by many moons ago. I remember the days of opening packs of Pro-Set cards and Upper Deck cards and discovering which players would be added to my collection. Those cards now reside in the storage area of my basement where they are collecting dust and possibly increasing in value at some point. Tonight, though, we shall go back in time as we welcome a young lady and her father to the show to reintroduce us to the world of hockey cards!

As you may be aware, Tim Hortons is running their hockey card promotion right now, and there is a young Winnipeg girl looking to complete her set of Tim Hortons cards! In acquiring these cards, she has also devised a game that makes collecting the cards fun! Let me introduce you to Mackenzie and her dad as she opens up some additional packs of cards while explaining the game!

I'm actually quite interested in finding out how Mackenzie came up with this game. For an old guy like me, it seems a little complicated, but I'm sure it's easier than it may seem. Tonight, we'll have Mackenzie and her dad in studio to talk hockey cards, Tim Hortons, the Jets who open their season against Carolina tonight, and more!

It should also be noted that TJ will not be on the show tonight as he's off to southern Ontario for work. If you miss the big guy's take on the world, he also hosts At The Edge Of Canada, an Indigenous Research program that opens up the world of Indigenous People's issues, ideas, and achievements! I know TJ is really proud of this show, Beans and I are proud of the show and the great work done by TJ, and I highly encourage you to give it a listen as he's done some amazing work and interviewed some fantastic people in its short time of returning to the UMFM airwaves! Just for the record, TJ's still a big part of The Hockey Show, but his absence tonight is entirely excused!

If you're not in the Winnipeg area AND you're a proud owner of an iPad, iPod, or iPhone AND want to listen to The Hockey Show, you can easily listen to the show by downloading the UMFM app! Just follow this link on your iDevice and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show!

If you're an Android user, we've had the app out for a few weeks already so you should already have it on your phone or tablet. You do have it, right? What do you mean you don't have it? Why not? Look, get yourself on the right path by following this link and getting the Android app so you can listen too!

You can also email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, we meet young Winnipeg hockey fan Mackenzie as we dive into the world of hockey cards on The Hockey Show only on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM app!

PODCAST: October 13, 2016: Episode 212

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

On Pace For Eleventy Billion Goals

The kid had a heckuvan opening night. Auston Matthews made modern NHL history by becoming the first player in 99 years to score four goals in his first NHL game. To say he looked ready would be an understatement as Matthews was clearly the best player on the ice in tonight's game, and that's saying a lot coming from this writer and his unwavering anti-Maple Leafs stance. Matthews looks like he's going to be that superstar centerman that the Leafs have long coveted since the departure of Mats Sundin, but we need to remember that all 82 games aren't played against the Ottawa Senators. And yes, Toronto still lost the game in overtime despite Matthews' heroics.

There was a lot to like about Matthews in tonight's game. He went to the net on his first goal and took a couple of shots from Derick Brassard before finding the puck and beating Craig Anderson. His second goal was everything you want to see in a superstar as he beat three players before stripping Erik Karlsson of the puck and firing home a shot that Anderson simply has to have. He didn't have it, though, and Matthews had two goals on two shots. The key on that play is that he was strong on the puck the entire time, and simply pick-pocketed the puck from Karlsson, the 2015 Norris Trophy winner. That's confidence and skill all on one incredible play.

The third goal was all about creating a passing lane and some space for himself as he stopped up at the right hash mark - not the goal crease - when he saw Morgan Rielly head behind the net. This takes vision and a belief in your teammate that he's skating with his head up to see one's self parked in an ideal spot. As the Rielly curved around the boards towards the back of the net, the passing lane opened up, the puck was sent out to Matthews, and the Senators were fishing another milestone puck out of the back of the net on Matthews' hat trick goal.

The final goal was just a gorgeous 2-on-1 attack as Matthews dished to Nylander, Nylander watched Matthews get a step on the defender, and Nylander went tape-to-tape for Matthews who picked up his fourth goal on the night. At that point, the Toronto Matthews Leafs, er, Maple Leafs led 4-3, and there was great hope in The Centre of the Universe that a savior had been found, signed, and delivered to the Leafs faithful who had waited for so long for "the next one".

Let me be the first to say congratulations to Auston Matthews. Yes, I knew he was going to be a pretty good player having watched him at the IIHF World Championships and in the Swiss League. He simply had the moxie and the talent to do more. I also want to tell Leafs fans to pump the brakes a little bit because Auston Matthews will win neither the Rocket Richard Trophy nor the Art Ross Trophy. He has a very good shot at the Calder Trophy, but let's just remember that the Leafs will play 29 other teams - some more than once - some of which have slightly better defensive schemes than the Ottawa Senators.

It should also be noted that it was Auston Matthews' man who scored the overtime winner in tonight's game. Kyle Turris scored the winner to give Ottawa the two points, and that's who Matthews was supposed to be checking at the time of the goal. He wasn't anywhere near Turris and he was late getting to him which allowed Turris to score the winner. This defensive lapse cost the Maple Leafs a point, and it's something that Mike Babcock will address with Matthews.

That fact alone shouldn't take away from the historic night, but we shouldn't be expecting Matthews to break Gretzky's record of being the fastest player to 50 goals. By tonight's game, the extrapolation puts him at 50 goals by November 8 against Los Angeles in Toronto's 13th game of the season. I have a feeling that won't be happening nor will we see Matthews hit 50-in-50. If he scores 50 this season, that would be incredible. In fact, if he scores 50 this season, this anti-Leafs writer will purchase an authentic Auston Matthews jersey. You heard it here first, so hold me to this when Matthews hits 50 goals in November, Leafs fans.

The season is long. There are slumps, nagging injuries, defensive schemes, and a pile of other factors that will slow Matthews' goal-scoring pace this season. Teams will start to create strategies to reduce his impact just as they do for players such as Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Steven Stamkos. Some teams may even try to bully the kid a bit in the same way that Brandon Dubinsky goes after Sidney Crosby. He'll need to play through these roadblocks as he cements his status as superstar, but he'll have to learn how to navigate them as well. That's part of the process in becoming an elite NHL player.

So while you have a superstar in your ranks, Maple Leafs fans, don't go getting the parade floats and parade routes ready just yet. It was an impressive start for the kid tonight, and it's one that should give you hope that the complete teardown and rebuild that Shanahan and Lamoriello did is starting to bear fruit. Your team might still be a year or two away from challenging for an Atlantic Division title or a playoff spot, but hope floats in Toronto on this night. And while hope is just a four-letter word, the newest Maple Leafs centerman just had a four-goal night to announce his arrival.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Hockey On Turf

Ever wonder how something flat like a hockey surface is installed on a football field made of astroturf or fieldturf? There are some distinct differences that turf has when compared to grass, so putting down some ice over top of the turf requires some special savoir-faire when it comes to achieving an NHL-suitable rink. The image above taken by Braeden Jones of the Metro Winnipeg shows some of the early stages of how they get the substrate down that makes good ice, but I'm going to walk you through the five layers of work that go into making a Heritage Classic rink on turf!

Layer 1: ARMOUR DECK

This is what you're seeing being installed above on top of the turf at Investors Group Field. Because turf is spongy and somewhat uneven in relation to its surface when compared to concrete, a solid substrate must be put down by the ice crew in order to make the surface as flat as possible. The Armour Deck is made of plastic, and provides a stable base on which the next four layers can be built.

Layer 2: ICE PANELS

These are panels with tubes running through them so that refrigerant from the refrigeration truck is run underneath the ice surface to keep it solid. The coolant used in the refrigeration truck is glycol coolant which also helps to reduce the effects of corrosion in portable systems that are occasionally opened to the air. As much as 3000 gallons of glycol can be used in the piping system, so the rink should stay icy for a while even if it's warmer than freezing out. The unit that drags around the refrigerant will set you back about $850,000 while holding some 3 tons of coolant!

On an indoor rink or NHL rink, the pipes are usually embedded in the flat concrete surface onto which ice base layer is installed. What Mike Craig's crew does is replicate that effect with these ice panels containing the piping and coolant. The other major difference is the coolant used indoors is calcium chloride which is more energy efficient for indoor use. However, if it isn't kept in check, this substance can become highly corrosive. This is why glycol is used in portable systems such as the NHL's portable ice system.

Layer 3: ICE BASE

Once the panels are in place and the cubes have been connected to send coolant through, the ice crew begins to spray a half-inch thick layer of ice as the base of the rink. This is done slowly and methodically to ensure a flat surface, and many individual layers are added throughout this process. Hoses are usually set to a fine spray as well to ensure that freezing is done uniformly. When you see chips out of the ice, it's usually the ice surface layer that has come off. The base is generally dense and very firm similar to what one would do for a backyard rink.

One must remember that if the water is applied to quickly or the layers become too thick, it becomes harder to keep the ice surface frozen since more energy is used. The NHL isn't interested in running up a massive power bill for one game, so the half-inch thick layer is the ideal thickness of the base layer to keep the surface layer icy. That half-inch layer is still some 7/8" thicker than the bottom layers seen in NHL rinks as illustrated just above this line, so you can see just how much water is needed to ensure a safe playing surface when moving games outdoors. Half an inch of ice is a very solid base layer.

Inside this base layer will be where the heart of the ice-making technology lies as well. Eight individual sensors will be installed in the ice that will monitor everything from the temperature of the ice to how much snow comes off to how much water goes is put on via the Zambonis. All of this information is relayed to Craig and his team via their cell phones, so expect them to be staring down rather than at what's happening on the ice during the game!

Layer 4: WHITE WASH

The white wash is literally the painting of the ice white for contrast with the puck and to hide the layers underneath the ice surface. For simplicity, this is usually done with some sort of paint applicator where a fine mist of paint is used to ensure a flat surface once more. Once the ice is a white opaque surface, another fine layer of water goes over top to set the white wash. Once this layer has frozen, lines, logos, face-off circles and dots, and advertising can be applied to the surface. This is when the ice surface begins to look like the finished product!

Layer 5: ICE SURFACE

As seen in the illustration above, the normal thickness of the ice is about an inch thick. The NHL applies more water for the outdoor games, making the final layer anywhere from a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch thick. Once this layer is applied and determined to be the consistency, the Zambonis are responsible for maintaining this ice surface. The white layer, logos, lines, and everything else are deep enough into the ice surface that they won't become exposed if someone cuts hard on where they are found.

In learning about ice preparation, one line stuck with me the entire time: "The less water you put on the floor at one time, the better your ice will be." If you're asking yourself why the NHL would be setting the ice up some eleven days before the event takes place, Mike Craig and his crew seem to follow the same adage. They work methodically to create the best ice conditions they can for outdoor games, but the one factor they cannot control is the weather.

When asked about ideal conditions on Tuesday, Mike Craig answered, "A nice cool day. Nice and cloudy. Everything's kind of calm. Not much wind. That's ideal."

All in all, Mike Craig and his ice crew of 20 people estimate they'll put down some 20,000 gallons of water for the Heritage Classic game, and he expects to have the ice surface ready by the end of this week! "Hopefully by the afternoon of (this Friday) we'll be spraying water and making ice out there," Craig told a scrum of reporters. "Everything so far is right on track, and weather-wise everything is right there as well. We're not anticipating any major issues coming up. We just wanna make sure we're putting on a good event, a good show, and away we go."

All of Canada, and especially Winnipeg, is expecting a great show, and the atmosphere inside Investors Group Field will be raucous with the Oilers in town to play the Jets. While Mike Craig has faced challenges in other cities when it comes to the weather. With highs of 8°C on Saturday, October 22 and 7° on Sunday, October 23 with little chance of rain, it appears the rink will be perfect to host the 2016 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!