How often does "your" NHL team re-do its ice?

The Stars and Mavericks share a stadium, but I'm pretty sure they just put the court on top of the ice.

 

Ian, most arenas (that I know of) do not replace the ice.

It is actually good practice to replace the ice each season, but I am wondering if cost is an issue as to why it isn't done more often.

 

Time is money, and redoing the ice takes at least three days to do correctly. The arena can't be used during that time.

I helped redo the ice at the rink I played beer league hockey at one time. Interesting process. As I recall...

Start with the freezing concrete painted with white tempra paint with the lines painted onto it with blue and red tempra paint. Then you "cap" the lines by taking those pump-pressurized spray bottles you use for fertilizer, and putting a sprayed layer of water that quickly freezes over the lines in order to protect them during the rest of the process.

Now 3 or 4 cycles of freezing very, very thin layers of water sprayed onto the floor. Once the ice is getting thick enough, the advertising logos are laid out, they are pre-printed onto a perforated sheet and you lay them flat and spray more thin layers of water so the ine freezes in the perforations and holds it in place. Now you "cap" those until thres a layer of ice over them. Meanwhle you keep "capping" the lines with more layers of ice.

Once the logos and lines are well sealed under enough ice, the zamboni comes out and lays down water that will freeze. I wasnt there for the rest of the process but I believe the zamboni did that at least every couple of hours for the next 2 days.

 

Some pics of the process... I guess I uploaded in the wrong order... first painting, then "capping" and then using the "boom" to lay down the first few layers.... it takes all those guys holding the supply line to the boom because if it drug across the white tempra paint, which dries with the consistency of chalk, it would lay down dirt and the dirt would absolutely show through the ice. We all either wore booties over our shoes or had to thoroughly clean the soles before stepping foot onto the surface.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login