OK, here is another article and another analysis on the ice at Verizon Center.
I am glad we are discussing the laying down of new ice surfaces and scheduling issues within.
I am also glad that we do talk about our home record and the amount of goals that Alex has scored at home vs. on the road too. I am sure next time I think about it, I will expect to be undefeated at home when the ice is at very, very high standards of quality. 
I think we now have generated more words and pixels regarding the ice surface in the history of the NHL. I also admire fans that tell me “It had to be 80 degrees in the building on Saturday, which is why the ice was terrible.” When, in fact, the temperature in the third period hit 62 degrees, 2 more degrees than prescribed. And that is a big issue for us all.
It isn’t a sensitive topic. It is a basic deliverable for us and all teams in the NHL. I don’t want the ice to become a distraction and it has. We are all focused on it so thank you all for the airing out of the issues and for us all to be focused on positive solutions and outcomes.
Ted –
Check this out – Tarik linked to it this morning – not sure if you saw it.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/02/the_caps_and_bad_ice_a_history.html#more
I appreciate you coming out and recognizing that the ice is bad. However, it seems as if this has been an on-going problem that hasn’t been adddressed. Why is this time any different?
Also, please don’t ask the players not to talk about the ice conditions. If Feds and Clark feel it’s bad enough to talk to the media (one of, if not the, most respected vet in the game…plus your capitain!) then you really need to step up to the plate and address the issue.
In the past, bad ice has been understandable. The focus was on basketball. Now, however, the tables have turned. Neither Georgetown or the Wizards are very good. The caps are rocking it every night. VC needs to cater to the group putting butts in the seat. Right now – that’s the caps. Honestly, does it REALLY matter if the bball players are a little cold during the game?
Basketball period sucks… you want to make it good… put some boards up and let them actually hit and defend someone… then I may consider it. Until then.. ABE you cheap **** do the right thing.
Abe gives billions to Gilbert, who will miss an entire season and play of iffy knees for the rest of his career, but won’t invest in a few dehumidifiers. Not a surprise. No wonder the Wizards suck.
Abe Pollin has always been cheap… the greatest day in Caps history(soon to be a cup) was when Ted took over. Ted actually cares about this team. If I remember correctly he doesn’t make money like Abe does on the facility or parking. So in a way the Caps are still handcuffed by Abe.
I was at the game Saturday night and it was not 62 degrees. I am not ten years old and I can tell the difference between 62 and 80. 18,000 people generate a lot of body heat. I’d say it was at least in the 70′s. People in hockey sweaters were sweating when usually they are comfortable.
In reference to Jay’s comment, I sit in section 413. I was wearing a long-sleeve T, a jersey and jeans at the game on Saturday. If it had been 80 degrees up there, I would’ve been hot and sweaty and uncomfortable. Not even close.
Ted – Hate to break it to you, but the temperature in the lower bowl was 73 degrees at game time Saturday. How do I know? Coincidentally (and entirely unrelated to the ice quality debate), my wife just happened to conduct a little experiment Saturday night by bringing a thermometer to the game to convince me to turn the thermostat up a bit at home by proving that the temperature in the Verizon Center is warmer than we maintain at home. She and the folks at OFB, it turns out, were both right!
Ice conditions can range from perfect to outright horrible. As much as I like the NHL, I think that these issues are not so much an issue when players like Ovie and the likes grow up playing the game on rougher surfaces in Russia, Canada, etc. Some players need to suck it up especially when wanting to play in the Winter Classics.
Curtailing the activities on the ice between periods won’t have more than a minimal effect. Likewise, moving the games to 7:30 is another band-aid that might slightly mask the symptom but not cure the underlying problem. Everybody who has studied this situation has agreed that Verizon Center needs a couple of new dehumidifiers. Yes, they are very expensive, but Abe Pollin needs to stop being cheap for the good of our players. Nothing less is acceptable.
Here’s why some fans feel they get spin from you.
You say, “I also admire fans that tell me “It had to be 80 degrees in the building on Saturday, which is why the ice was terrible.” When, in fact, the temperature in the third period hit 62 degrees, 2 more degrees than prescribed.”
Dan Craig said the Verizon Center measured 62 degrees and 37 percent humidity at the beginning of Saturday night’s contest and the inside temperature rose steadily throughout the night.
So if the measurement was 62 degrees at the beginning of the game, and my understanding is it is measured from the ice level (am I wrong?), then couldn’t it be possible that the temperature level in the upper deck did get close to 80 degrees?
I as a fan appreciate you are taking the issue seriously (as you’ve stated) but when you make comments like that it sounds dismissive of someone, like their opinion is wrong. And that leads some to question if you are taking the complaints seriously, or whether you think fans just aren’t capable of making a judgment of building conditions.