Winter Classic 2014: NHL will stop game to shovel snow if needed

The NHL has an army of snow shovels ready to go.

By Adam Gretz Jan 1, 2014, 1:13pm EST

The NHL really could not have staged a better atmosphere for the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Wednesday, as it is a winter wonderland for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings in the annual outdoor game.

It looks awesome, and it's sure to be a blast for the 105,000 fans in attendance. The only problem is that snow is going to pile up on the ice and that is going to make it difficult to play hockey. But never fear, the NHL is prepared to stop the game if the snow piles up too much so ice guru Dan Craig and his arm of snow shovelers can get out there and clear the ice in roughly two minutes.

They had plenty of practice before the game.

The first Winter Classic in Buffalo back in 2008 had similar conditions (though, not quite as much snow) and had some extended delays while they worked on the ice. After five years of practice the league seems to have a better idea as to what it's doing for these games and seems to be prepared for just about any conditions mother nature can throw at them.