‘We know we’re not going to beat Mother Nature’

Derek King typically has ice in his veins.

But the Manitoban admits there may be a few more butterflies than usual as he prepares for the ultimate home game — the 2026 Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens.

“This is so exciting to be back,” King, the NHL’s vice-president of hockey operations and facilities operations, said Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s definitely going to be a fun event to be part of.”

King is leading a crew of nearly 150 people — the majority being local contractors — who will be working long hours to get Princess Auto Stadium ready for the outdoor game, which is set for Oct. 25 and will be the 34th of King’s career.

Surely he can do this work in his sleep by now?

“I’d like to think I can, but there’s always something that comes along that can surprise us,” King said with a laugh. “There’s always challenges, which is what makes it interesting and fun. That really keeps the spark alive.”

For Exhibit A, see the 2016 Heritage Classic at the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers which endured a lengthy delay due to the bright afternoon sun. There will be no such issues this time around, with puck drop now happening just after 6 p.m.

“That was by design. We know we’re not going to beat Mother Nature,” said King.

The league’s massive mobile refrigeration unit left Oakville, Ont., this past weekend and arrived at the stadium on Tuesday. The piping, which runs under the ice surface, is now starting to be installed while the field begins to get covered. The ice will start to go in this coming Saturday, a process which will last nearly a full week depending on the weather.

Regular folks may not love the cloudy and cool conditions we saw Tuesday, but that’s absolutely perfect for King and his staff.

“If we could have this leading up to the game, that would be great,” he said.

There’s a lot more to this process than standing in the middle of the rink with a garden hose. King said the 53-foot, 300-ton capacity refrigeration unit removes heat from the surface and stabilizes the temperature to ensure NHL quality ice. They’ve now done this in below-freezing temperatures and balmy conditions in California, Florida and Texas.

How? Approximately 3,000 gallons of glycol coolant are pumped into custom-made aluminum trays that are configured on the field of the stadium and connected to the refrigeration unit, keeping the ice at the ideal temperature of 22 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately -5 Celsius).

The ice at Canada Life Centre is about 1-1.25 inches thick. The surface at Princess Auto Stadium will be double the thickness — requiring approximately 25,000 gallons of water in the process.

“We want everything to be perfect,” said King.

“We want everything to be perfect.”

“It’s basically control what we can control. Both these teams have had a good start to the season. We want them to enjoy the game. The last thing we want them to worry about is conditions at puck drop.”

Nostalgia is the name of the game for the NHL when it comes to these types of outdoor games, which is why you now see multiple ones every season.

“If you look back to where this game started, everyone was out on a pond or a lake playing hockey. So we’ve tried to do that with what we’re doing with the outdoor games,” said King, who began volunteering at the Hazelridge Sports Complex when he was a teenager, working various jobs including driving the Zamboni.

He eventually became arena manager and vice-president, then joined True North Sports + Entertainment in 2004 to oversee ice operations for the Manitoba Moose. That carried over to the Jets in 2011 when the NHL returned before King took an even bigger role with the league in 2016 which has now taken him around the world.

Although he admitted to being a bit rusty on his skates — “It’s been quite a while” — King may dust them off to take a lap or two around the ice once it’s ready to go.

His excitement is shared by both current and former members of the Jets.

“Playing an outdoor game, I remember watching them growing up. It’s a really cool thing to be a part of, and fortunately, we get to do it at home,” forward Cole Perfetti said Tuesday prior to his team’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

“I’ve got lots of family coming in, everyone’s got lots of family coming in, so it’ll be a great game, a great time. When the time comes, really enjoy the moment and soak it up.”

Eric Fehr, a member of the 2011 Jets, was at the stadium on Tuesday to survey the scene. He’ll be participating in the alumni game which is being held on Oct. 24 at Canada Life Centre, joining the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Toby Enstrom, among others.

“Guys are panicked, trying to get back into playing shape in time for the game,” Fehr cracked. “It’s going to be exciting to get the guys together and play hockey again. To share the memories of everything that happened years ago.”

“It’s going to be exciting to get the guys together and play hockey again. To share the memories of everything that happened years ago.”

Fehr, the pride of Winkler, finished up his NHL career in 2019 with Minnesota, then played three more years overseas before hanging up his skates for good.

“I’m going to have a lot family and friends coming to the game to watch. It’s a unique experience for sure,” said Fehr, who has played in three outdoor games during his NHL career.

“This event is so special for the players. This is not just another game. It’s one you mark on the calendar, and it brings the best out of everybody. The league does such a good job putting it together and giving the guys good ice. Hopefully it will be cold enough to keep the ice cold. It should be a great atmosphere.”

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre