Extreme Makeover: Wrigley Field Edition

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Extreme Makeover: Wrigley Field Edition (continued)

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By Sarah Spain | Author Archive

December 18, 2008 05:23 PM

While you're frantically checking e-Bay and StubHub for Winter Classic tickets, crews are turning Wrigley Field into an ice rink. Watch the transformation via webcam here!

In the days leading up to the Winter Classic, while you're frantically checking e-Bay and StubHub for tickets, Wrigley Field is undergoing a winter makeover. Crews are working steadily from Dec. 15-31 (with three days off for Christmas) to turn the diamond at one of the most beloved stadiums in all of sports into a hockey rink.

Tuesday, Dec.16, a 53-foot refrigeration truck carrying ice-making equipment arrived at the gates of the Friendly Confines. The ice will be layered one thin sheet at a time until a regulation-size rink runs from first base to third base, starting just beyond the pitcher’s mound.

A small rink will be built in the outfield for kids to skate on during NBC’s pre-game coverage. Wrigley Field has long rejected the installation of a Jumbotron for Cubs games, but two temporary video screens will be placed in right-center and left-center fields for those fans who can’t easily follow the puck.

NHL.com has broken down the makeover process by the numbers.

22 -- Degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of an NHL sheet of ice.

22 -- Wheels on the specially-built refrigeration/construction truck that traveled from its construction site in Mobile, Ala., to Chicago -- with a stop in Atlanta -- to haul state-of-the-art ice-making and ice-monitoring equipment to the Winter Classic.

23 -- Degrees Fahrenheit, or -5 Centigrade, the average daily temperature on New Year's Day in Chicago over the last 30 years according to the National Weather Service. The average high is 30 F (-1 C). The average low is 15 F (-9 C).

50 -- Combined number of television cameras that will be sprinkled around Wrigley Field by CBC, NBC and the NHL Network.

53 -- Length, in feet, of the world's largest mobile rink refrigeration unit, specially built for the NHL Winter Classic.

112 -- Feet from Wrigley Field's home plate to the Winter Classic's center-ice face-off dot.

701 -- Regular-season meetings between the Red Wings and Blackhawks (as of Jan. 1).

1926 -- The year of the first Blackhawks-Red Wings game (Detroit won, 1-0, on Nov. 24 at Chicago Coliseum).

1957 -- The year in which CBS televised the first network hockey game in the United States. The Rangers defeated the Blackhawks, 4-1, on Jan. 5 in New York with Peter Puck making his broadcast debut.

20,000 -- Gallons of water needed to create an ice surface two-inches deep on Wrigley Field (NHL rinks normally are 1"-1.25" thick).

The game, which is expected to draw 41,000 fans, is the hottest ticket in town. As for the crew hard at work on the temporary rink? Probably not so hot. Watch them turn the Friendly Confines into the Friendly Conf-Ice on NHL.com's 15 minute delayed webcam..

Date Added: December 18, 2008