Work is now underway to transform the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers into a space for NHL teams to take the ice. Princess Auto Stadium is playing host to the Heritage Classic outdoor game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 25. Representatives from the NHL have been in Winnipeg since the day after Thanksgiving to begin the process of building the outdoor rink for the game. “We now have what’s called our rink underlay done, so we have a flat, solid, level base to start building,” said Dean Matsuzaki, executive vice president of events for the NHL on Friday. “Just this morning, we’ve unloaded all of the ice pans for the ice floor. They will be installed and connected this afternoon, and then tomorrow we lan to put dasher boards up. “That’s when it really starts to look like an ice rink.” Matsuzaki said crews will be working on the rink and ice right up until game day. Both teams will practice on the ice the day before, skating and testing sight lines to ensure the surface is perfect for the actual game. The stadium played host to an outdoor game in 2016 that was originally scheduled for an afternoon start, but was delayed due to bright sun and blue sky. Matsuzaki said crews will tarp the ice during the day if it’s too sunny, with work taking place at night, and are also hoping for no rain during the build or the game. “We love that weather for the build, but on game day, it wasn’t great,” said Matsuzaki. “This game is now a 6 p.m. game, just to take that completely out of play.”
