The Buffalo Sabres today announced they have installed a light blue ice surface at HSBC Arena for two American Hockey League games being played by their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, on Sunday, March 20, vs. the Cleveland Barons and on Sunday, April 3, vs. the St. John’s Maple Leafs.
Both games will begin at 5:05 p.m.
“We are very excited to experiment with a light blue ice surface,” said Buffalo Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn. “The National Hockey League first introduced the idea of using different types of ice colors and we asked their permission to experiment with the blue ice concept during our two upcoming AHL games. We think the action on the ice will show up better on television with a blue surface and will be easier to see the flow of the puck.”
This experiment, approved by the National Hockey League and the AHL, will also see the traditional blue lines replaced by orange lines and the red center ice line will be dark blue. The face off circles will be orange while the end lines and crease lines will stay red.
