After the long holiday weekend, the Nashville Predators front office returned to 501 Broadway and found the air noticeably cooler than it had been in the previous months.

And for good reason.

The operations staff at Bridgestone Arena were diligently working on their biggest offseason project on Tuesday – rebuilding the 200-foot frozen playing field from the ground up. This comes as the 2024-25 NHL regular season is less than six weeks away, inching closer and closer.

The ice is going back in at @BrdgstoneArena nature is healing pic.twitter.com/b9mH2IDtas

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) September 3, 2024

Nigel Schnarr, Senior Director of Ice Operations, is leading the crucial job for his 11th season with the Predators. Given his extensive experience and intriguing insights, we posed some of your most commonly asked queries to Schnarr. The questions spanned various topics about the lengthy process, from the ice temperature to the vast quantity of water utilized.

Let’s get right into it:

What is the step-by-step process to making the ice at Bridgestone Arena?

We began by cooling a concrete slab from 70 degrees Fahrenheit at 1 p.m. yesterday to about 16 degrees by this morning. Today, we’ll proceed to encapsulate the slab. I’ve already doused it with a fire hose and next we’ll apply three to four layers of white paint to conceal the concrete. We’ll then seal it with around five layers of clear water. After this, we’ll proceed to mark the blue and red lines, face-off circles, hash marks, and goal creases, which will all be hand-painted. Once this is complete, we’ll place our logos in the neutral zone and the four corners. The final step is typically adding the Pred Head at center ice.

What are some unique challenges that come with maintaining ice in Nashville, Tennessee?

The primary obstacle is the external weather conditions. Humidity significantly affects the speed at which we can freeze the water. On certain occasions, we’ve had to wait because the water wasn’t freezing quickly enough, typically due to excessive moisture in the air.

How cold does the building need to be to keep the ice frozen?

We’re able to adjust the building’s air temperature due to the heat being drawn from under the ice. Once we place the floor over the ice for an event or concert, it’s insulated and keeps a steady surface temperature of 24 degrees on the ice. As soon as it’s uncovered, we can reduce the temperature slightly. While we do have some flexibility, we typically aim not to exceed 70 degrees when the ice is covered, and try not to go above 62-63 degrees when it’s exposed.

How cold is the ice?

Typically, for games, we maintain an air temperature around 56 degrees Fahrenheit, while the surface temperatures might be approximately 19 degrees. This can make the ice somewhat brittle. If the ice gets too cold, it can become too brittle, which might lead to chipping if there’s a hard cut. To prevent this, we try to slightly warm it up, which is usually effective. After warm-ups, we apply a heat load during resurfacing. By the time the game starts, the surface temperature will be around 22 to 22.5 degrees, which is ideal. However, if the temperature rises to around 24-25 degrees, players may feel as if they are sinking into the ice.

Do you take feedback from the players into account during the season?

I typically touch base with them, but I generally believe in the ‘no news is good news’ philosophy. Therefore, if they aren’t communicating any issues and the ice appears to be in good condition, then I see no reason to change my approach. However, if they report that the ice is a bit slow, sluggish, or overly snowy, I usually respond by making it slightly colder. But it’s important to remember that weather conditions like heat and humidity can also affect the ice during a game, causing more snow to form, which can then stick to the ice and freeze. This can cause issues towards the end of a period, for instance, a long pass might start bouncing due to the stuck snow. Most of the time, the main problem they report is the pucks bouncing over the icy surface.

How many gallons of water does it take to create the ice?

“I’m not sure of the precise number, but I’m aware that it requires significantly more than 20,000 gallons of water.”

How much paint does it take?

We utilize one-gallon boxes of paint, typically consuming about 10 of them, which equates to nearly 10 gallons of white powder. This is then mixed at a proportion suitable for a 150-gallon water tank. Generally, we apply around three to four layers of this mixture.

How do you get the lines painted on perfectly straight and the faceoff circles perfectly round?

We have two types of painting methods. The first involves hand painting, while the second utilizes a tool known as a paint stick. The paint stick is a system in which you carry a bag filled with a gallon of paint on your shoulder, which is connected to a stick that extends downwards to a two-inch wide sponge, equivalent to the width of goal lines or hash marks. This allows you to regulate the flow of paint. To create straight lines, we use a string to map out the guideline. For circles, a cable is used. One person positions themselves at the center where the face-off dot lies, and the cable, measuring about 15 feet, extends outwards. The person keeps the cable taut and walks in a circle, resulting in a flawless two-inch circle or straight line.

How many people work on the ice year-round?

At Bridgestone Arena, I have two full-time employees working with me throughout the year. In addition, our director of building operations, who is also a certified ice tech, lends a helping hand. On game days, I have a team of around 12-14 individuals. Typically, 11 of them will skate during TV timeouts to clear the snow. Of course, we also have our two Zamboni drivers.

On March 23, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee, Nigel Schnarr, the Director of Ice Operations for the Nashville Predators, inspected the ice during the intermission of an NHL game. The match was against the Detroit Red Wings and was held at the Bridgestone Arena.

© John Russell

How did you end up in this role?

I’m in my 11th season here, although my total experience in the ice industry spans roughly two decades. My journey began at A-Game Sportsplex in Franklin. It was there that I made acquaintances with people from this place, who were in need of a Zamboni driver during game days. They invited me to join them, and I accepted the offer, initially working on a part-time basis. I quickly developed a passion for the job. Being a fervent hockey fan, I relish the opportunity to contribute to the sport. Our work is vital for the games to take place; everything begins and concludes with us.

How do you learn how to maintain an ice rink?

Much of the learning is practical and based on experience, but there are structured classes available. Some of us present today, for instance, are certified ice technicians. The U.S. Ice Rink Association provides an educational program with a variety of classes. Courses include ice painting, ice maintenance, edging techniques, and how to maintain a flat and sample sheet of ice among other things. Refrigeration is a challenging aspect, as it involves understanding air and heat flow, which can vary from building to building.

Is there collaboration with other NHL teams in solving ice problems?

We recently completed our NHL facility meetings last week, where we divided into groups. Teams from hot and humid climates like ours held a separate networking session. We discussed common issues and potential solutions. Everyone agrees that Edmonton and Calgary have excellent ice, but their cold and dry climates are vastly different from ours. Therefore, we can’t adopt their techniques, like using humidification systems to increase moisture, because we’re trying to reduce humidity as much as possible.

Did you work on the ice at Nissan Stadium? How was that process different?

The League is in charge, but I assisted. It was a rainy period leading up to the event. Here at Bridgestone Arena, the ice thickness won’t exceed one and a half inches from the concrete surface to the top. However, at Nissan, the ice was over three inches thick, as we wanted to avoid losing any. We had lost some in Dallas before the 2020 NHL Winter Classic and had to rebuild it. We made it as thick as possible to allow for some buffer with the rain. We also used four by fours – gators – with large squeegees attached to the front, removing the endboards and pushing the rainwater off by moving back and forth. I spent two consecutive nights doing this. It was challenging but successful, and the ice was in great condition on game day. The only problem was the wind, which caused minor puddling on the ice. However, these puddles disappeared just before warm-up. I drove a mini Olympia for that game – a fun experience. We essentially removed an ice layer before warm-ups, without even adding water.