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We went straight to the official National Hockey League site to answer this question. Sure enough, the About the NHL page says that the ice on a hockey rink is approximately 3/4" thick. The thicker the ice, the softer and slower the ice becomes for skaters -- and hockey players don't want that! The Science of Hockey site provides further details on rink ice. Bruce Tharaldson, the icemaker for the San Jose Arena, explains the process to create a premium ice surface for hockey. Before the pre-season games start in September, the arena pumps freezing cold salt water through pipes that run under
a concrete slab that makes up the arena floor. When the slab is cold enough, layers of water are applied to it. That 3/4" ice surface consists of eight to ten thin layers of ice. The first few layers are painted with game markings and logos. The upper layers seal the paint and provide the playing surface. This ice stays in place all season long, from September through April -- or even longer if playoff games are necessary. When the arena is used for other sports or musical concerts, a floor is constructed on top of the ice. Arenas maintain the ice by using a Zamboni -- a large mechanical ice resurfacer that scrapes away loose ice, flushes dirt out of grooves, and adds a layer of heated water that freezes and restores a smooth surface. It takes 10,211 gallons of frozen water to create
a hockey rink. The ice is kept at 16 degrees Fahrenheit for hockey playing. However, figure skaters prefer a rink that's kept at 22 degrees Fahrenheit, since they require softer ice to land their jumps.
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