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Winter Classic ice guru Dan Craig has this evening’s hardest job

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With all the issues that have come up this week with the warm weather and the rain, the guy who’s become the latest celebrity in the NHL is none other than Dan Craig. Craig is the NHL Facility Operations Manager and he’s the guy whose job it is to make sure the playing surface is in playable shape. Tonight, Craig talked about how tough a job it is to get things ready but he feels confident that things will be in good shape as he told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen.

“We took over 3,600 gallons off the floor with the machines, maybe even closer to 3,800, and whatever might have leaked out the sidewalls,” Craig told NHL.com three hours before the opening faceoff for the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Saturday evening. “There was a lot of water out there. It was raining pretty good here this morning, from about 7 through until 9. It came through in sheets.”

The ice tonight still looks wet at all times and with temperatures still in the 50s just minutes before the puck drops, you have to wonder how the puck will move, how fast the skaters can go, and if we’ll see any problems because of it. One position to keep an eye on for issues is in goal. The creases appeared from our novice view to have some issues. We figure that they’re not a big deal if the NHL is OK with playing the game, but it’s worth noting.