I have been enjoying the NHL playoffs and easily 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 cold 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 honestly used to smooth and taxing ice all year. In the southern states, the cold season is brief, right now they are experiencing un-even temperatures as high as 90 degrees. Those rinks must have to crank their air conditioning machine to harden the ice! Even doing that, combined with all the body heat and natural sizzling un-even temperatures, it must be not straight-forward, but you can always tell what players are used to what ice. Also, the colder states ice allow the puck to move suddenly since the ice is so taxing 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 easily affect a team. It must supply the lake cabin teams such an advantage since they are used to the un-even temperatures and condition of ice.