Dan Craig sleeps maybe four hours a night leading up to outdoor games. He only goes out to dinner because he can check the status of the ice on his phone.

B次元官网网址淵our mindB次元官网网址檚 always going,B次元官网网址� said Craig, the NHLB次元官网网址檚 vice-president of facilities operations.

After staging outdoor games in a deep freeze (Edmonton) and summerlike warmth (Los Angeles), the NHL seems capable of taking hockey outside just about anywhere in the U.S. and Canada knowing the ice will be almost as good as the sheets found inside.

When the Flyers host the Penguins on Saturday night, it will be the 27th NHL outdoor game since 2003. Next seasonB次元官网网址檚 Winter Classic is at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, where the average high on Jan. 1 is 56 degrees (13.3 Celsius).

No worries, hockey fans.

B次元官网网址淲e put the parameters out there as into what we feel the challenges are going to be at a certain climate in a certain area and this is what weB次元官网网址檙e going to run up against,B次元官网网址� said Craig, who has worked all but two outdoor games. B次元官网网址淎nd if we have to go to get different equipment, we go get different equipment. If we need more staff, we just go get more qualified people to come in and give us a hand to make sure that everything works the way itB次元官网网址檚 supposed to.B次元官网网址�

Weather is the biggest hurdle that canB次元官网网址檛 be controlled. It is instead managed by Craig, his son Mike, senior facilities operations manager Derek King and the 100-person crews that work each game. As he sat on the boards Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field, Craig pointed to the sky and acknowledged the swirling wind was on his mind.

Still, improved technology and techniques learned over the past 15 years have helped perfect the science and execution of making and maintaining outdoor ice.

B次元官网网址淚t seems like theyB次元官网网址檝e streamlined the process so they know how to react and how to handle different elements,B次元官网网址� said Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk, a veteran of five outdoor games. B次元官网网址淔or the last few that IB次元官网网址檝e been in, itB次元官网网址檚 all been pretty good. B次元官网网址� If you can start with that, that leads to a better product in the game.B次元官网网址�

It starts with a 53-foot refrigeration truck that feeds coolant into aluminum trays set up on the field, and while indoor facilities have ice typically an inch or so deep, outdoor rinks go beyond 2 inches to protect the surface from the elements. Smaller Zambonis have less impact on the ice, and covering the surface with heat-reflecting insulation tarps helps. The ice can be monitored with sensors that provide real-time readings to a smartphone app.

The ideal ice temperature is 22 degrees (-5.5 Celsius), but all was fine in Denver in 2016 when the air temperature was 65 (18.3 Celsius) because officials can just turn the A/C up.

B次元官网网址淲hen weB次元官网网址檙e monitoring the air temperature weB次元官网网址檒l just make the sheet colder,B次元官网网址� King said. B次元官网网址淚f we can keep it in the in the mid-40s, it would be great. But weB次元官网网址檝e got a lot of control. B次元官网网址� We have a lot of control of the truck, so we can manipulate our temperatures on the sheet with the air temperature.B次元官网网址�

Craig remembers the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor: The snow shovelling started at 5 a.m. and never really stopped. The sun has been just as big an impediment B次元官网网址� it delayed the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia because the glare was considered a danger to players. The ice at the 2011 Heritage Classic in Calgary had to be covered because it was so cold there were worries the surface would crack, the most concerned Craig has ever been.

The tarps with air bubbles inside became a mainstay beginning in 2014 at Dodger Stadium to combat the Southern California sun as temperatures soared to almost 80 (26.7 Celsius) in the days before the game.

B次元官网网址淪un was a huge issue for us in just the temperature on the ice, so we kind of came up with a system of how to cover the ice and reflect that sun,B次元官网网址� King said. B次元官网网址淲e still use those same ideas anywhere we go.B次元官网网址�

The Dodger Stadium experience showed the NHLB次元官网网址檚 ice crew it could adapt to just about any situation. Previous weather dilemmas also taught Craig and his staff they couldnB次元官网网址檛 just leave snow on the ice like so many nature-made rinks in cold climates, which paid dividends this week in Philadelphia when snow turned to sleet and then rain.

B次元官网网址淓verybodyB次元官网网址檚 looking at us like, B次元官网网址榃hy donB次元官网网址檛 you just leave the snow?B次元官网网址� Well, itB次元官网网址檚 going to cause us 18 hours of work if we donB次元官网网址檛 get the snow off, like, right now,B次元官网网址� Craig said. B次元官网网址�(If) it happened to rain, the top is going to freeze and then the bottom is going to be nice and soft. Well, no. Where we were, it just goes all the way through and then it freezes to the bottom. Those are the types of things that we have learned over time: how to manage the different circumstances that were put into.B次元官网网址�

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There are three more outdoor games next season B次元官网网址� in Regina, Saskatchewan, Dallas and the Air Force Academy in Colorado B次元官网网址� and trips to Nashville and maybe even Las Vegas could be coming someday.

Craig doesnB次元官网网址檛 see any challenge as too daunting and he is focused on giving players an unforgettable experience.

B次元官网网址淭hey step out there for the first time and they do about three laps around and the grins and their eyes are just phenomenal,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e always been in organized hockey, theyB次元官网网址檝e always been indoors, theyB次元官网网址檝e always travelled and all of a sudden they get their chance. ThatB次元官网网址檚 when you see the guys and you just see them, theyB次元官网网址檙e beaming because this the first time, theyB次元官网网址檙e getting paid for it, theyB次元官网网址檙e playing a game that they love and theyB次元官网网址檙e playing it outdoors where we started.B次元官网网址�

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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press

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