GEDDES -- If you’re a hockey fan, you have likely seen one of the NHL's New Year's Day outdoor hockey games on television. This past January featured the Boston Bruins vs. the Philadelphia Flyers at historic Fenway Park. And, hockey fan or not, if you live anywhere in Central New York I’m sure you’ve heard of the big game coming up this weekend at the State Fairgrounds between the Syracuse Crunch and the Binghamton Senators.
The Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo a couple of years ago was an interesting sight to watch with snow falling during play. It was like old-time pond hockey when we were kids, having to shovel off the ice to be able to play. I’d dare say most fans watching there or at home, and even the players loved playing and seeing this game outdoors with the snowfall.
Here’s something I’ll bet you didn’t realize though. There are actual NHL and AHL outdoor hockey game guidelines that could lead to game delays and/or cancellations. Being an avid hockey player myself as well as a meteorologist, I figured there must be some sort of guideline, but never really knew until I was asked to be the official meteorologist for the game. Upon accepting that position, I was given the two page “rules and guidelines” used by the National Hockey League (also the AHL) to become familiar with them for this Saturday’s Crunch game.
I won’t post the full two pages, but allow me to give you a few of the “weather particulars” I’ll be monitoring and looking for…
TEMPERATURES: 5 degrees Fahrenheit is the coldest temperature a game should be played before becoming dangerous to players and officials.
SNOW: Excessive snowfall could hinder player vision and puck movement. With too much snow, it may be necessary to clear the ice at midpoint of each period.
RAIN & FREEZING RAIN: Could cause pooling of water on the ice surface. Freezing rain could accumulate on the glass and also cause an extreme rough ice playing and skating surface.
SUN & GLARE: Sun glare could affect a players vision, especially the goaltender. Depending on sun angle, it could be necessary to have teams switch ends at midpoint of each period to make it even.
WIND: If excessive wind at ice level is determined to be a factor in one teams ability to skate and play, it may be necessary to again, switch ends at the midpoint of each period to even it out.
Regardless of the weather, I’ll be there, taking weather readings before and during the game, and enjoying every minute of this historic event. I’m sure you will too.
Two days and counting and the forecast remains on track. I see the current pattern continuing through game day with temperatures just slightly below normal.
For an outdoor hockey game, for everything from the ice surface to comfort for the fans and players, the weather couldn’t be better!
Here is my updated “game day” forecast:
Mostly cloudy skies with “possibly” one or two sunny breaks of blue sky if we are lucky. Flurries or a little light snow are likely. New accumulations of a coating to an inch or two total spread throughout the day. Early morning temperatures around 25 degrees rising to an afternoon (game time) high temperature of 30-34 degrees with a west to northwest breeze 10-15 mph producing a game time wind chill of 20 degrees. Barring any unforeseen changes, this will be great weather to watch the game and be a part of history! If you dress in layers, you’ll be plenty warm!
As always, stay tuned for updates and changes in my Game Day forecast on this site! Keep checking back to this site! I’ll keep checking computer models and overall patterns and fine tune this forecast. And remember, when game day gets here, if there is any snow or rain around, you can track it with the CNYcentral.com Triple Doppler Radar.
