Stick Pile

The biggest pond hockey game of the season is in Chicago on Thursday. Patrick Kane of the streaking Blackhawks gets to test his skills against those amazing Red Wings. Besides dropping their Zamboni off the back of the truck, they are ready at Wrigley. Live field cam here.

A portable 200-by-85-foot rink was driven in from Mobile, Ala. It sits between first and third base, 112 feet from home plate and 288 feet from the center-field wall.

Nearly one-quarter of a million people entered a lottery for a chance to buy up the 40,000 tickets for this unique event

Local press has these lovely tidbits:

Bathrooms

The most crowded places between periods will be the washrooms, the only places for fans to warm up at Wrigley. Expect a rush a minute or so before the end of the first and second periods. The water was running in the troughs Monday to keep the pipes from freezing.

 The crew made a layer of ice about three-quarters of an inch thick Monday before taking off for Christmas.

NHL facilities/operations manager Dan Craig said last week the original plan was to begin spraying another 20,000 gallons of water on the surface this weekend to thicken the ice to at least 2 inches, as NHL regulations stipulate.

The crew was supposed to begin painting the ice Saturday, using about 350 gallons of paint. But the league can't control the weather, which plays such an important part in the outdoor spectacle.

RELATED NEWS: Pond Hockey (The Documentary). Trailer. Snippet at NBC.