04/18/24
March 05, 2006
Quick Change.: On January 28, 2006, American Airlines Center was converted from a Dallas Stars hockey rink to a Dallas Mavericks basketball arena in just over 2 hours. This video includes a time-lapse record of those events. (quicktime req'd, via telescreen)
posted by Ufez Jones to general at 11:15 AM - 8 comments
pretty cool. i've seen a similar thing where they change the staples center from a kings ice rink to a clippers floor to a lakers floor, all in one day. as far as i know here, the ice is the bottom floor, but i don't know what they do with it before laying down the hardwood.
posted by ninjavshippo at 12:24 PM on March 05, 2006
The black covering is an insulator to keep the ice from coming through and making the basketball court wet. They leave the ice alone. Even though it is only and inch or so thick, it would take way too long to freeze it if they had to reverse the arena from basketball to skating. When they remove the basketball court they will smooth out the ice again and it will be ready. It is cool that they can change everything that quick.
posted by dbt302 at 12:48 PM on March 05, 2006
Hmmm...doesn't work for my Firefox browser (audio, no video) but works fine with my IE browser (full audio/video). I think they just cover up the ice with some insulation (to keep the ice cold and the floor warm). I think that's what the brown/black layer was before the hardwood was put down.
posted by grum@work at 12:52 PM on March 05, 2006
Ah, I see, after carefully watching the video again. I'd like to take this time to thank those behind the scene workers who make it possible for us fans to enjoy the sport(s) we love.
posted by njsk8r20 at 12:56 PM on March 05, 2006
cool. i don't know if they've done it since, but earlier this season on MSG they covered the basketball court-to-hockey rink switch live. they didn't show every minute of it but they cut away periodically to explain what was going on. of course sometimes they have to deal with the first game going into overtime, like the nets did yesterday, so it takes them a bit longer to get the ice ready. and then they decide to leave the hockey fans waiting outside in the cold for an extra 20 minutes before they let them in. bastards.
posted by goddam at 04:57 PM on March 05, 2006
This was a frequent sight on all the Boston TV stations over the years- I believe the changeover for Boston Garden was featured for a few commercials for various products. The "Bull Gang" prided themselves in quick changes; I think the all time fastest change was a bit UNDER an hour, from hockey to baskets. Years ago, before advanced plastics technology, a coating of sawdust was needed to keep the ice from really melting. Having a snap-together parquet floor was also a speedy item. A google about this produced a lot of sites. Neat stuff.
posted by Leominster at 05:25 PM on March 05, 2006
They definitely can't melt the ice. It takes a long time to make the ice -- it's made in several layers, and each layer has to freeze before the next is added.
posted by fabulon7 at 07:10 PM on March 05, 2006
Pretty amazing stuff. Its fairly common for an ice hockey team to share an arena with a basketball team. I just want to to know what happens with all the ice. Is it melted and drained? Can they do they do that process just as fast changing from a basketball court to an ice rink?