Question of the Day - 10 May 2019

Ah, the wonders of modern technology.

We think back to our own curiosity about this transformation in May 2012, when the Staples Center in Los Angeles had to host six games — that year, the Kings hockey team and the Clippers and Lakers basketball teams all made the playoffs — over the course of a week.

Of course, many cities around the country have arenas that professional basketball and ice-hockey teams share.

Here’s how.

First, a few words on the ice itself. Systems vary, but in general, an ice-bearing concrete slab is embedded with miles of pipes filled with brinewater (an antifreeze agent). The slab is maintained at 16 degrees Fahrenheit by chillers to freeze upwards of 10,000 gallons of deionized water pumped onto the slab into a layer of ice that’s about three-quarters of an inch thick.

The ice is formed on top of the slab at the beginning of the hockey season, then remains in place until the last hockey game is played that year.

Second, a basketball court is much smaller than the hockey playing surface: 94 feet long and 50 feet wide, compared to the rink that’s 200 feet long and 85 feet wide.

To convert the rink to the court, the walls and glass panels are removed, then special insulated plywood is laid out over the entire ice surface and the hardwood of the basketball floor is pieced together atop the plywood. This special plywood manages to keep the basketball court warm and the ice cool at the same time. The process is reversed after the basketball game to get ready for the hockey game.

Why doesn’t the basketball court slide on the ice? Simple. It’s heavy enough to stay in place. The courts consist of upwards of 300 pieces of wood that weigh 175-190 pounds each. Add them up and you have more than 25 tons of plywood.

How long does the process take? Depending on the system used, with two dozen workers, it can take as little as a couple of hours. With just a few workers, it can require up to an entire workday.  

The skating surface is defrosted at the end of the hockey season by heating the brinewater through the slab, making it easier to break up the ice and remove it with front-end loaders.