Preparations for Sunday’s Devils-Rangers outdoor game at Yankee Stadium have been delayed by the winter storm hovering over the northeast, meaning NHL ice guru Dan Craig is in for long hours over the next few days.
“It continues to get more and more and get heavier and heavier every time I read [the forecast],” Craig said of the storm and snowfall, per NHL.com. “We’re just going to try and stay on top of it the best we can.
“We’re just going to continue to remove snow off the rink so that when it does stop, it won’t take us that long to remove what’s left and continue with making ice and get back on schedule.”
Craig and his crew are building Yankee Stadium ice for a pair of games -- Saturday’s Devils-Rangers game, Wednesday’s Islanders-Rangers game -- and also dealing with a smaller-than-usual crew. Out in L.A., Dodger Stadium is also in the midst of being prepped for Saturday’s Ducks-Kings outdoor game, marking the first time the NHL crew of rink-builders has been split into two teams.
Craig said he has a few local people helping out with the Yankee build, which has been “basically right on schedule” thus far. The crew still needs to paint the ice white and do lines and logos.