Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Some of its uses include a playing field for ice hockey, figure skating exhibitions and contests, and ice shows.
Many ice rinks consist of, or are found on, open bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, canals, and sometimes rivers; these can only be used in the winter in climates where the surface would freeze to a strong enough thickness.
Artificial rinks can also be made in cold climates by enclosing a level area of ground, filling it with water, and letting it freeze. Snow may even be packed to use as the containment material.
In any climate, an arena ice surface can be installed in a properly built space. This consists of a slab of concrete, through which pipes run. The pipes carry a chilled fluid (usually water with antifreeze) which can lower the temperature of the slab so that water placed atop it will freeze.
Modern rinks have a specific procedure for preparing the surface:
- With the slab cold, a thin layer of water is sprayed on the concrete to keep it from being marked.
- This thin layer is painted white, for better contrast; markings necessary for hockey or curling are also placed, along with logos or other decorations.
- Another thin layer of water is sprayed atop this.
- The ice is built up to a thickness of 2-3 centimetres by repeated flows of water onto the surface.
Periodically after the ice has been used, it is recurfaced using a machine such as a zamboni. For curling, the surface is 'pebbled' by allowing loose drops of cold water to fall onto the ice and freeze into rounded peaks.
Between events, especially if the arena is being used without need for the ice surface, it is melted by heating the fluid in the slab pipes.
Those skilled at preparing arena ice are often in demand for major events where ice quality is critical. The level of the sport of hockey in Canada has led its icemakers to be particularly sought-after. One such team of professionals was responsible for placing a loonie under center ice at the 2002 Winter Olympics; as both Canadian teams (men's and women's) won their respective hockey gold medals, the coin was christened 'lucky' and is now in the posession of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
