Something you don’t see often is a postponed hockey game.
We did have a few games postponed last season due to a snowstorm that crippled the east coast. But I think it’s been a while since a game didn’t happen at the scheduled time due to an ice issue.
An issue with the ice compressor is the reason why the Red Wings and Hurricanes didn’t play tonight. The players knew the ice conditions weren’t ideal this morning during the morning skate. Things didn’t get better inside 30 minutes of puck drop when the team announced the original postponement.
Thing started to look better at 7:20 when Carolina GM Don Waddell said the issue with the cooling system was fixed but the temperature of the ice needed to come down in order to deem it safe to play. They were running out of time to get the game started because the Red Wings were playing the first game of a back-to-back and NHL rules state that a game cannot start 22 hours prior to their next game. The Red Wings play later tonight in Tampa at 7:30, meaning the game had to begin by 9:30.
The decision to postpone the game came an hour before the deadline as they determined they could not get the ice to re-freeze quickly and safely in time.
If you purchased tickets to this game, check out the Hurricanes website where they outlined ticket refund/exchange information.
