A hockey rink is ready at Dodger Stadium for the upcoming 2014 NHL Stadium Series hockey game in Los Angeles, seen Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will play outdoors at Dodger Stadium Saturday, Jan. 25th. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
January 23, 2014 - 3:13 PM
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - They're just about ready to drop the puck at Dodger Stadium.
The NHL's ice crew has built a fully functioning rink in the middle of the iconic baseball field, and only a few tweaks remain before Saturday's historic outdoor game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks.
It's the NHL's first official outdoor game in a warm-weather climate.
Even with daytime temperatures in the 80s and abnormal humidity recently in sunny Southern California, NHL ice guru Dan Craig is feeling cautiously optimistic about the condition of his sheet. Craig and Kings executive Luc Robitaille skated on the ice Wednesday, with Robitaille pronouncing it ready to go.
Craig has always been confident the warm weather wouldn't turn this unorthodox outdoor game into a swim meet.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014