What temperature is NHL ice kept at?

What to wear, what to wear? When considering what to wear to a hockey game, you’ll want to represent by wearing your favorite hockey clothing, which might include a favorite player’s hockey jersey or a team hat, but you’ll also want to be comfortable. In this case, comfort means warmth. Whether you’re parked outdoors in the snow for the local high school game or you’re fifty rows up at the Bell Centre, you can expect some cool, and sometimes downright cold, conditions.

What Should I Wear to a Hockey Game?

If you’re not sure what to wear to a hockey game indoors, it’s always smart to wear layers. Whatever the sport, you can immediately identify the fan who knows the ropes—and veteran fans will have it down to a science. Start with a T-shirt, followed by a loose-fitting, long-sleeve shirt. Wear your hockey jersey over that. If you don’t think all that’s enough to keep you warm for a couple of hours, bring a lightweight jacket or a hoodie. If you need to remove a layer or two, you’ll be good to go. Just make sure to wear your hockey jersey on top, or rock a vintage-style hockey sweater for a extra snazzy gametime swag.

If you’re going to be outside, you’ll want a hat, scarf, and mittens—which are warmer than gloves—and a shirt or two beneath your winter coat. Loose pants hold heat better than skinny jeans, particularly when you’ve got long johns under them, but it’s your hockey outfit, not ours. And don’t forget the wool socks and some winter boots. Wear what you’d wear to shovel the driveway on a cold, dark morning. Bring along a hot seat to keep your bottom warm for outdoor rinks with metal seating, and a thermos of your favorite hot beverage—it’ll do you good, at least through the first period or two.

Are Hockey Games Cold?

Well, the ice needs to stay frozen, but, depending on the venue, it might not be all that cold where you’re sitting. It’s going to be cooler the closer to the ice you are. Generally speaking, the ice will be about 25° and the air, for an inside game, will be somewhere between 50 and 60°. That’s not bad considering outdoor games must be played in freezing or below-freezing temperatures.

Hockey clothing will probably be a little different for fans of warm-weather teams, where the temperature difference inside the arena and outside the arena will be greater. You’ll always get the gang of rowdy, shirtless dudes, no matter where you are—even Las Vegas—but the temperature in the arena will probably be too cold for shorts and a T-shirt.

What Time Should You Get to a Hockey Game?

Many fans like to arrive at the game about 30 minutes before the puck drops. That’ll give you time to find your seats, get your concessions—maybe purchase a little hockey attire—and settle in. Remember: an empty arena will be cooler than a full arena. Once 18,000 fans are packed in, jumping around, and spilling beer on your newly acquired hockey clothing, the air will be warmer than it was when you first showed up.

If you’re outside, it’s probably going to be just as cold at the end of the game as it was at the start of the game, if not colder. Add to that the general inactivity of watching sports, and you’re in for a chilly couple of hours. If you’re not there to watch your child—you’ll have to show up early for drop-off—show up at game time. The national anthem is played at game time with the actual game starting about 15 minutes later. That’ll make a little difference.

How Long Do Hockey Games Last?

An NHL game has three 20-minute periods. That’s an hour of play. There are also two intermissions, each 18 minutes long. If there’s overtime, that can go on as long as five minutes and shoot-outs can go on indefinitely. All told, the average NHL hockey game lasts about 2.5 hours. High school games are somewhat shorter, with 15-minute stop-time periods.

Field hockey can be played in an open-air stadium, but a closed stadium with a specific temperature is required for ice hockey. The temperature inside the hockey arenas is kept cold enough so that the ice won’t melt, and players have no problem moving around the rink. 

People going to watch a hockey match for the first time in the US often wonder how cold is it in the hockey arenas and what they should wear to the game to keep themselves warm. 

If you are also baffled by this confusion, check out the following context. In this article, you will find a comprehensive guide answering all your questions related to how cold is it in the hockey arenas and how players manage to play at such a low temperature. 

• Professional Hockey Arena Temperatures
  • How Do Technicians Lower The Temperature Of The Arena? 
  • What Should You Wear To A Professional Hockey Game? 
  • Recreational Hockey Arena Temperatures And What To Wear?
  • What Happens To The Players On The Rink?
• The Bottom Line On Are Ice Hockey Arenas Cold? And What You Should Wear

Professional Hockey Arena Temperatures

Ice hockey is either played in an open stadium or arranged in a closed hockey stadium during the winter season. A closed arena is preferred for professional matches, as the temperature can be manually controlled there. 

In a typical professional hockey arena, the ambient temperature can be around 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius). At the same time, the temperature of the ice rink is strictly kept at 24 degrees Fahrenheit (-4.4 degrees Celsius). 

Initially, the arena is cooled down to 19 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit so that when people come into the arena and the temperature of the arena increases, it does not go beyond the ideal temperature of the rink, and it does not get melt.

Once the match starts, then the technicians of the arena maintain its temperature at a narrow range of about 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 18 degrees Celsius). If there are fewer people in the stadium, it is easier to maintain the temperature. 

But if the arena is crowded, which usually happens in NHL sessions, the technician’s job becomes strenuous and arduous as they have to perform extensive cooling of the arena. 

How Do Technicians Lower The Temperature Of The Arena? 

Understanding how technicians lower the arena’s temperature will help you analyze how cold is it in the hockey arenas. The ice hockey areas are fitted with certain pipes and an HVAC system. Technicians use this system to lower the temperature of the arena. Within the lines, cold air and refrigerant are present that lowering the temperature of the rink and the stands.

Initially, the refrigerant and cold air pressure are extremely high within the pipes. When an ice hockey arena opens, no one is allowed to go to the arena or the stands for the first few hours. After that, the arena is cooled to the ideal temperature, and the pressure of the refrigerant is decreased within the pipes.  

The cooling process of the arena also depends upon the weather. If it is winter and the temperature is cold enough outside, cooling the arena won’t be a problem. But if the arena is located in a warm city like Arizona, technicians will need to increase the air conditioning process, and the cooling process can take time. 

During winters, you may not feel a drastic variation between the outside and inside temperature of the arena. But in summers, the difference in temperature within and outside the arena can be pretty evident. In some parts of the US, like Arizona, Coyotes have to blast off their air conditioning systems during the summers to prevent the ice rink from melting. 

What Should You Wear To A Professional Hockey Game? 

Suppose you will watch a professional hockey match for the first time. In that case, you should reconsider your wardrobe as the temperature inside the arena can immensely vary from the outside weather. 

During the winter season, arenas have almost the same temperature as the outside. Thus, you won’t need to dress specifically for the game in such situations. You can wear a hood, a sweater, or anything wearable in the winter. 

However, NHL sessions and other professional hockey tournaments open during the spring or summer season. Many people make the ironic mistake of wearing summer clothes, i.e., shorts and shirts, to the hockey arena. Later, they regret it as it is icy inside the stadium. 

Even if it is hot outside, it is suggested that you should wear warm clothes to the hockey arena, as the temperature inside the stadium will be around 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 18 degrees Celsius). Moreover, in warm weather, the technicians of the arena use blast air conditioning systems; thus, it is advised to wear winter season clothes for the hockey game. 

While going to watch a hockey game, you should never forget that your dress should be arena-appropriate and not weather-appropriate. However, it does not mean that you should over-prepare for the game. 

Professional arenas are usually packed with a large audience, and they have targeted cooling systems that primarily focus on keeping the ice rink stable and not overcooling the arena. 

Thus, you don’t need to wear oversized hoodies, gloves, and caps for the arena. Instead, a cozy jacket or a sweater will be sufficient to keep you warm and comfortable during the game. 

Recreational Hockey Arena Temperatures And What To Wear?

Contrary to what some people think, there exists a massive difference between a recreational arena and a professional hockey stadium. Professional Hockey arenas have intelligent cooling systems that can maintain the integrity of the ice without extensively cooling the entire arena.

But since the recreational arena isn’t that big and is run on a smaller budget, its air conditioning and HVAC systems aren’t that smart. Unlike the professional arenas, their air conditioning pipes do not target the rink only. 

Instead, they are placed all over the arena. As a result, not only the temperature of the rink gets low, but the temperature of the stands is also lower than in professional stadiums. 

The temperature of a recreational arena can be as low as 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much lower than that of a professional arena. Therefore, you will need to wear warm clothes there. 

Hockey games can last anywhere between one to two hours, and in some situations, the game can even get prolonged. Within such an extended period, your body temperature can drop. 

That is why it is advised to wear gloves and caps along with jackets and sweaters to a recreational hockey arena. And if you are taking kids along with you, then it is suggested that you should also take a mini blanket to the arena to keep them warm enough. 
What Happens to the Ice on the Rink as the Game goes on?
As the heat increases in the arena due to the accumulation of the crowd, the quality of the ice rink can get affected. In such cases, the players find it hard to pass the puck to each other. 

Thus, NHL has introduced innovative air conditioning that primarily targets cooling the rink and keeping its temperature stable to avoid this problem. But when the temperature is too warm inside the arena, even these systems can fail to operate aptly. 

What Happens To The Players On The Rink?

Since the rink’s temperature is below zero degrees Celsius, the suits of the hockey players are made with multiple layers of comfortable material to keep them warm during the game. 

The players wear a ‘Hockey Gear’ suit made with Kelvar (aramid), carbon, and glass. The combination fabric is thick enough to provide enough insulation to the players against the ice rink’s cold temperature. 

Besides, hockey is a strenuous game. Players have to move at a high pace, and thus, they often feel hot with such a thick suit. Therefore, hockey players only wear a T-shirt inside instead of multiple layers of clothing beneath the hockey gear. 

The Bottom Line On Are Ice Hockey Arenas Cold? And What You Should Wear

Now that you know how cold is it in hockey arenas, you can wear arena-appropriate clothes to the stadium and enjoy the game thoroughly. Unlike what some people perceive, it isn’t that cold in the stadium. 

With an apt jacket or sweater, you can easily survive in the arena. Moreover, in these stadiums, food and hot drinks are also served, which will also help to keep your metabolic rate stable during the game. 

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