I have been watching the NHL playoffs and really enjoying it.
What is interesting is that the teams travel to each other’s rinks to play.
I never considered how the ice would differ state to state until I watched the players do a game. In colder states, keeping the ice colder is easier. I live in the north and it is the middle of May but I have yet to turn off the heating device. It is still freezing cold outside. I bet keeping the ice rink cold with AC is hardly a bother. The natural cold air would help the ice harden. So those players are probably used to smooth and hard ice all year. In the southern states, the cold season is brief. Right now they are experiencing temperatures as high as 90 degrees. Those rinks must have to crank their air conditioning equipment to harden the ice. Even doing that, combined with all the body heat and natural warm temperatures, it must be not easy. You can always tell what players are used to what ice. Also, the colder states ice allow the puck to move quickly since the ice is so hard and smooth. The warmer state’s ice is way more slushy and bumpy. You can see a lot of players falling right on their butt or the puck going out of bounds. Weird how something as small as AC in a rink and outdoor air temperature can really affect a team. It must give the home teams such an advantage since they are used to the temperatures and condition of ice.