The Yankees Stadium in South Bronx, New York City is undergoing a renovation to host the upcoming two-game 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series slated to be held Jan 26 (New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils) and January 29 (Rangers vs. New York Islanders).
This is the first time the stadium will be hosting a hockey event. It had earlier hosted several concerts, college football games and soccer matches. Usually, NHL games are held indoors (for obvious reasons). However, this year, the league has decided to take the series to an outdoor platform, especially after its Winter Classic season, that was played Jan 01, became an instant hit. The season raked in a profit of about $20 million, reports Sports Business Daily.
Currently, the boards of the rink have already been fixed and the ice pans have also been placed, reports ESPN. The rink lies in the middle of the field, running from one foul line to another. Another auxiliary rink is also being built near the home plate.
Check out a time-lapse video of the construction below:
You can also check out a real time video of the construction, here.
Not only is the Yankees stadium being renovated for the game, but the L.A. Dodgers stadium in Los Angeles is also undergoing a makeover for a match between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks slated to be held Jan 25. Musicians John Ondrasik and Jordan Sparks will be joining legendary rock band KISS for performances at the venue, according to the official NHL announcement.
So how different is playing outdoors going to be?
"It's just like any other game. The puck gets a little bit colder, so it bounces around a little bit more, but other than that, you play on your adrenaline and usually you can skate a lot more because it's fresh air," Carl Hagelin, Rangers Winger told The New York Post.
Mike Craig, an NHL official also quipped about the ideal weather for the game:
"We always ask for some mild [weather], right around freezing. If we could get a nice, cloudy day, so no sun, something like that, if we can get a little bit of snow to fall in there just for the effect, that would be great. Anything like that is fantastic."
Check out some photos of the work-in-progress stadium in all its glory, here.
