Yes, you read that correctly – an ice hockey game is coming to an outdoor baseball stadium in balmy southern California. Cross-town rivals Anaheim Ducks play the Los Angeles Kings Saturday, Jan. 25 at the first-ever California outdoor NHL game, the first of four outdoor games in the 2014 NHL Coors Light Stadium Series. To add to the spectacle, rock band KIIS will perform at the pre-game festivities and first intermission.
Orange County residents who don’t want to miss this unprecedented sporting event can take the Metrolink OC Line to Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS) and catch a free Metro shuttle from there to Dodger Stadium.
Amtrak will deliver fans back to Orange County. The latest evening return trip back to Orange County is only available on Amtrak 796 departing from LAUS at 10:10 p.m. For this game only, Amtrak will hold the train up to 45 minutes in the event the game goes into overtime.
Because this Amtrak train does not stop at all Metrolink OC Line stations, including Orange, Tustin, Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo, San Clemente or San Clemente Pier, hockey fans should plan accordingly to avoid leaving their vehicles at a station without Amtrak access.
The Metrolink leg of the journey is a bargain at $10 for a Metrolink Weekend Day Pass, which provides systemwide travel Saturday or Sunday. Amtrak tickets must be purchased separately.
To harness the relative chill of the evening hours for ice preservation, the game won’t begin until 6:30 p.m. Long before the puck drops and the sticks clash, however, there will be plenty of action of a different kind on the grassy baseball field in the Chavez Ravine hillside.
The NHL is relying on special equipment and a big team to turn Dodger Stadium into an ice hockey rink. First comes the subfloor, built on top of the infield by more than 50 experienced team members. On top of that go nearly 250 specially designed ice trays with coolant running through them. Equipment on a nearby truck keeps the coolant recirculating and maintains the ice at 22 degrees Fahrenheit. To create the ice, the NHL team sprays tap water over the area for several days until a 2-inch-thick sheet forms. All this happens at night during the relative cool of the evening. Crowning the ice is a thermal cover with a reflective silver surface that helps keep the California sun at bay to preserve the carefully constructed rink for the big game.
Monday, January 20, 2014