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The largest action sports event ever to reach New Zealand will be held in July when USA and Canada face off in a three-game ice hockey exhibition series.

With its hard-hitting action and dazzling skills, professional ice hockey is a sport most of us love to watch, but few have actually seen played live. In a first for New Zealand, Christchurch-based event management company Douglas Webber Group (DWG) will bring teams from the USA and Canada to compete in an exhibition series in three of our main centres in July.

Three of New Zealand's arenas will be transformed into a temporary 'house of hockey' in July for a USA vs Canada exhibition series

The rivalry between these two top ice hockey nations is intense – at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada beat USA in the final game to take the gold medal – and representatives from the top-ranking leagues have been recruited for the exhibition series, including some star players from the National Hockey League (NHL) and American Hockey League (AHL).

Each of three large-concert venues (Auckland's Vector Arena, CBS Canterbury Arena and Dunedin Stadium) will be transformed into a temporary 'house of hockey'. A portable hockey rink will be transported from Europe.

Organisers will have two days to erect the NHL spec floor and dasher-board system, and just 48 hours to remove it after the event, before transporting it to the next venue.

Over 18,000 spectators are expected to attend the three-game series. The games will be filmed for international television and screened in multiple countries, including New Zealand and Australia. Spectators will enjoy live televised coverage at the events to ensure no move is missed, with close-ups and action replays on the big screens.

Outstanding reputation

Ice-World is Europe's largest manufacturer of mobile aluminium ice rinks, and will supply the portable rink for the New Zealand series. Headquartered in the Netherlands, where the ice rinks are first built, Ice- World has an outstanding reputation for the supply of temporary ice rinks throughout Europe.

Neil Simmons, CEO of Ice- World International, says that constructing the rinks in New Zealand will be a first for them too. “We want to bring the joy of skating to every continent of the world, not only for skaters, but also for those who would prefer to watch. We are delighted and very proud to participate in this 'house of hockey' event, whereby New Zealanders will be able to get acquainted with this fabulous skating experience, performed on a temporary ice hockey rink from Ice-World.”

Craig Douglas, the director of DWG, says they chose Ice-World because of their reputation on the world stage. “Ice-World is the only ice rink manufacturer in the world that is capable of installing an ice rink with real ice overnight,” he says. “They build ice rinks for all kinds of activities and every size is possible. For instance, they have built a mobile 5 km ice track that is in operation five months of the year. Moreover, their rinks are up to 40% more energy efficient than other systems, and stay cool in an ambient temperature up to 30° C (85° F).”

The ice hockey rink that Ice-World will bring to New Zealand, along with the extremely solid boarding surrounding the rink, which is anchored in the ice, satisfies the requirements of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

Fold-out construction

The selling point of the patented Ice-World portable ice rink is its unique fold-out system. Each rink is made up of a series of aluminium elements, prefabricated at the Netherlands factory, that are easily connected to each other using a few quickrelease couplings.

No specialised tools or equipment are required – the rink simply unfolds like a huge tablecloth. “The system combines speed with quality, because everything is preassembled and tested at our factory,” Neil says. “The ice rink will be set up directly on the existing floor of the venues, and two chillers of 600 kW each will transform the water basin into a solid ice floor.”

The rinks are environmentally friendly too. Ice-World only uses propylene glycol as a coolant for the ice rink system, which means any leaks and spillages during assembly and dismantling won't pollute the ground. In fact, the entire process – from manufacture, rental, sale, assembly and disassembly – is carried out in a sustainable manner, with all the aluminium components of the ice rinks recycled. Power to the Netherlands factory is supplied by wind turbines that provide 3 GW of energy every year (the equivalent of the energy used by the ice rinks worldwide).

Ice-World ice floors also save a great deal of energy in comparison with traditional ice rinks made of EPDM rubber or polyethylene as a result of using aluminium (the best cold-conductor) and the fact that the cooling pipes are in – not under – the ice. This means the cooling system can make and maintain ice using much less energy.

Rapid assembly

The Ice-World mobile hockey rink measures up to 60 x 30 m, and can be assembled and disassembled in a very short time. Three 40-foot containers will be used to transport the ice hockey rink elements, the barriers and a boiler (to melt the ice after the event) to New Zealand.

On the first day of construction, the ice rink is set up, the barriers are placed, and the basin is filled with water which freezes overnight. The next day, the ice floor is painted, followed by another thin layer of water. Subsequently, lines, spots and circles are fitted. Finally the goals are placed and the rink is ready to play.

The ice floor requires approx 100,000 litres of water, close to 15,000 litres of propylene glycol, and takes 48 hours to build and freeze. It takes 48 hours to melt the ice and disassemble the rink. The water supply is prearranged with local councils and will be pumped into the wastewater system after the event.

Over 100 people are needed for the logistics of transporting the rink, its operation, construction and running. Not surprisingly, the flooring system is worth close to NZ$2 million.

Craig Douglas says DWG is looking forward to bringing the stars of ice hockey to New Zealand. “It has been a three-year dream for us to bring North American ice hockey to New Zealand,” he concludes. “To be in such a partnership with Neil and his team at Ice-World International is remarkable.”

Tickets for the USA vs Canada series are on sale now – for further information, visit www. internationalicehockey.co.nz