Ice cooling issues postpone Red Wings-Hurricanes game at PNC Arena
The Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings will have to wait to take to the ice.
Scheduled to begin play at 7 p.m. ET at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., the game was delayed and eventually postponed due to an issue with the cooling system.
Nearly 30 minutes after the game was supposed to start, some progress had been made.
#Canes President Don Waddell said the cooling system is fixed and they are working to get the ice back to the right temperature. #DETvsCAR
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) December 20, 2016
The Hurricanes were then waiting to see if the cooling system repair would hold and if the temperature would drop, but simply ran out of time.
"We apologize to our fans who made the trip to PNC Arena tonight hoping to see the Hurricanes extend their nine-game home point streak," Waddell said in a statement. "A mechanical problem arose early this evening with the cooling system that keeps the ice solidified. We hope to announce a make-up date for our game against Detroit, as well as an exchange policy for the fans who had tickets to this game, in the near future."
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, there was limit as to how long Detroit could wait, seeing as the Red Wings are set to play Tuesday in Tampa Bay. NHL rules dictate a minimum of 22 hours between start times, meaning the puck had to have dropped by 9:30 p.m. ET.
The game will be rescheduled for a later date, while the ice crew at the arena has until Friday - when the Hurricanes are set to host Boston - to ensure all is well.