The NHL is reportedly sending experts to investigate the ice conditions at Barclays Center, the home of the New York Islanders.
What can actually be done about the ice remains to be seen, but Isles forward Cal Clutterbuck recently called it “the worst ice I’ve ever seen in my nine years [in the league], according to the New York Post.
Related: Clutterbuck calls Barclays Center ice ‘unplayable’
This is not a new problem. There were also complaints last season, the first for the Isles in the Brooklyn arena, which was originally built for basketball and concerts only.
As reported by longtime Isles observer Chris Botta, the problem may be with the design of the building:
1. NHL source: Floor piping system at Barclays Center in Brooklyn does not meet NHL standard requirements for ice-making.
— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) October 22, 2016
2. Barclays has PVC piping. All other NHL rinks have steel pipes. PVC cannot maintain ideal temp of 21 degrees for NHL play.
— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) October 22, 2016
3. Only solution is to tear up Barclays Center floor and install proper piping.
— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) October 22, 2016
Not easy, but should have been done in offseason.
4. Arena mgt knows this and hasn't fixed it yet, which is inexcusable, brings down caliber of play and is potentially dangerous.
— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) October 22, 2016
The Isles can reportedly choose to leave Barclays Center at the end of either their third or fourth season, and it’s no secret that their new owners have been exploring a potential move. So with that in mind, it will be interesting to see if any improvements are made during the season, or at least planned for next summer.
The Isles’ next home game is Thursday against Philadelphia. They also host Edmonton on Saturday and Vancouver on Monday.
Attendance was just 10,822 for last night’s 6-1 home loss to Tampa Bay.