In spite of all the warm weather lately, a team of people is working to transform the Rockies' baseball stadium into a winter wonderland.
That's because three hockey games will be played at Coors Field over the next week, starting Saturday with a rivalry between Colorado College and the University of Denver. Next week the National Hockey League will host an alumni game and a matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings at the field.
Outdoors game like these began around the country in 2008. Ian Thomas of the Sports Business Journal says fans and players love them because they harken back to early days of outdoor ice rinks. Thomas spoke with Colorado Matters host Nathan Heffel.
Crews at Coors Field have been working practically around the clock on the rink, including pumping coolant from a truck outside the stadium, through the left-field bleachers and into 243 giant pans atop the field. During the day the rink is covered to protect it from the sun.
Here's what that work has looked like:
