Anyone know anything about this?

[Sport]

I was reading this article http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?p...nmag0425_hradek on espn.com and in the part about keeping quality ice during the warm months of spring brought up this interesting tidbit:

"In a recent year, Craig said, one team, thinking it had no postseason shot, melted down the ice after the club's last regular-season home game. The team -- Craig won't say which -- snuck into the playoffs by winning its last few road games. So management had to make new ice on short notice. The ice's poor quality was unmistakable, and the team lost both of its home games."

I've tried to guess based on which teams were 8 seeds in recent years, but would anyone have more info on this or knows which team it was.

[KevinMcD]

I believe I heard somthing about the Islanders having a problem with the ice this year. They also lost both home games, so it could be them.

[HedleyLamarr]

Wasn't Carolina an 8-seed a few years ago?

[NJTank]

2001 but they didnt lose both home games

[KDubK414]

I don't know who the team in question is here, but this shocks me a lot!!! It sounds more so like VERY poor arena management than anything to do with the team.

Some people here know that I work at the Bradley Center here in Milwaukee, and that I am very close to topics like this one. When it comes to building conversions, ice, and basketball floors, I know my stuff.

One thing I know is that you DON'T melt the ice, until the OFFICAL end of the hockey season. That means, when the LAST GAME is played. NOT when your team has been "mathmaticly eliminated!" You gotta keep that ice solid till the season is fully over. Even if you have an ice show later in the spring, like the Olympic figure skaters and so on, you never melt the core ice before hand.

Which is why this seems like some bad arena managment.

Kyle

[EatSleepJeep]

Lightning in 2006?

They were the 8 seed last year in the east and dropped both home games.

[HedleyLamarr]

Lightning in 2006?

They were the 8 seed last year in the east and dropped both home games.

Tampa didn't sneak in, though. Atlanta and Toronto were the two teams chasing Tampa and Montreal.

[jkrdevil]

It's the Islanders this year. I remember hearing about it on Versus during one of the playoff games in Nassau this season. After the Isles last home game against Toronto they melted the ice thinking they wouldn't make it because just the right circumstances needed to happen. They then got the help the needed from i think Montreal, then the Isles beat Philly in Philly, Toronto beat Montreal, and then the Islanders beat NJ in NJ on the final day to sneak in. As a result they had to refreeze the ice. And if you can remember to last week they lost both games on the Island.

[Swiss]

Yeah, you said it all, jkrdevil but the article says "In a recent year"... I don't think that 2007 is a veeeeeery recent year because it's today.

[jkrdevil]

Yeah, you said it all, jkrdevil but the article says "In a recent year"... I don't think that 2007 is a veeeeeery recent year because it's today.

A think a recent year could mean this year (after the Islanders season is now done meaning it's in the past). If he said this year it would have been obvious which team it was because only 1 team sneaked into the playoffs in the last few days. He clearly didn't want to mention the team.

[pollux]

Well this is certainly no surprise, and although I don't know which team is, some arenas will have off-ice events during the day and a hockey game the same night.

I know that the last time Montreal played against the Rangers at MSG, they had to redo the ice in about 2 hours, prior to the game, because there was a circus show in the afternoon. The ice was piss-poor quality though.

There should be some restriction when it at least comes to game day.