3afan
01-29-2006, 09:23 AM
VIDEO LINK (http://www.dallasnews.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.dallasnews.com/012906_lapse_law.wmv)
A timeline for Saturday's transformation of the American Airlines Center from hockey rink to basketball court:
3:58: The final horn sounds in the Stars game, providing the worst-case scenario for the change: an overtime and prolonged shootout, eventually won, 2-1, by the Stars.
4:00: As fans begin to stream out of the lower bowl and two Zambonis circled the ice, workers pushing ladders begin taking down the boards and glass from the rink.
4:01: Workers wearing color-coded T-shirts (red, blue, orange, yellow and purple) hit the ice, pushing carts and attacking the glass. The color coding was suggested by a supervisor with military experience. One cart contains the two black NBA shot clocks, stacked vertically.
4:04: Carrying plastic bags, ushers and other arena employees begin the cleaning of the lower bowl.
4:07: Ouch! This work can be dangerous. One worker, hustling to help at one end of the rink, slips and does a pratfall. He is the first of two workers who fall. Neither is hurt.
4:10: The protective NHL safety netting is lowered from behind each goal, then bundled and raised again.
4:19: The first of the large gray composite graphite/fiberglass tiles covering the ice surface are placed in the corner, by the boards with the Dr Pepper logo.
4:21: Stars coach Dave Tippett begins his postgame news conference by saying: "The only people who didn't like that game was the American Airlines Center crew that has to change the floor."
4:28: The final panes of glass are removed. The ice is half-covered with the tiles.
4:48: Here come the folding chairs, lots and lots of folding chairs, on double-deck carts. So is this a basketball game or the world's biggest grade-school graduation?
5:00: The ice is completely covered with tiles.
5:05: Now, the first basketball court panels go down.
5:11: One vertical stretch of the hardwood is in place, which graphically illustrates how much smaller a basketball court is than a hockey rink. The NHL ice surface is 200 feet long; an NBA court is 94 feet long.
5:21: The two rims, backboard and basket support units are wheeled onto the hardwood floor. Bet you didn't know that backboards are dusted as they are put into place.
5:24: The coolest jobs of the change may belong to the two guys carrying orange sledgehammers. Their duty: pound the court into a tight fit.
5:38: So how do they make sure the rim is exactly 10 feet above the court? They hang a 10-foot pole from the rim and adjust accordingly. It's effective. It's just not as dramatic as coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) in Hoosiers with his tape measure.
5:46: The playing surface is actually intact and playable, with baskets and shot clock, less than two hours after Mike Modano's shootout winner.
5:49: Workers continue to set up press row, complete with TV and computer monitors.
6:00: American Airlines Center general manager Dave Brown said the change went nearly perfect, without any mechanical breakdown. "A less-than-two-hour turnaround is pretty remarkable," Brown said. "The staff was on their game. We have one of the best crews in the industry." He also admits that a 30-minute buffer was built-in to the time frame.
6:12: Mavericks center DeSagana Diop becomes the first player to step on the court. He shoots a free throw from the far end and no one could tell that a hockey game had ended less than 2½ hours before.
A timeline for Saturday's transformation of the American Airlines Center from hockey rink to basketball court:
3:58: The final horn sounds in the Stars game, providing the worst-case scenario for the change: an overtime and prolonged shootout, eventually won, 2-1, by the Stars.
4:00: As fans begin to stream out of the lower bowl and two Zambonis circled the ice, workers pushing ladders begin taking down the boards and glass from the rink.
4:01: Workers wearing color-coded T-shirts (red, blue, orange, yellow and purple) hit the ice, pushing carts and attacking the glass. The color coding was suggested by a supervisor with military experience. One cart contains the two black NBA shot clocks, stacked vertically.
4:04: Carrying plastic bags, ushers and other arena employees begin the cleaning of the lower bowl.
4:07: Ouch! This work can be dangerous. One worker, hustling to help at one end of the rink, slips and does a pratfall. He is the first of two workers who fall. Neither is hurt.
4:10: The protective NHL safety netting is lowered from behind each goal, then bundled and raised again.
4:19: The first of the large gray composite graphite/fiberglass tiles covering the ice surface are placed in the corner, by the boards with the Dr Pepper logo.
4:21: Stars coach Dave Tippett begins his postgame news conference by saying: "The only people who didn't like that game was the American Airlines Center crew that has to change the floor."
4:28: The final panes of glass are removed. The ice is half-covered with the tiles.
4:48: Here come the folding chairs, lots and lots of folding chairs, on double-deck carts. So is this a basketball game or the world's biggest grade-school graduation?
5:00: The ice is completely covered with tiles.
5:05: Now, the first basketball court panels go down.
5:11: One vertical stretch of the hardwood is in place, which graphically illustrates how much smaller a basketball court is than a hockey rink. The NHL ice surface is 200 feet long; an NBA court is 94 feet long.
5:21: The two rims, backboard and basket support units are wheeled onto the hardwood floor. Bet you didn't know that backboards are dusted as they are put into place.
5:24: The coolest jobs of the change may belong to the two guys carrying orange sledgehammers. Their duty: pound the court into a tight fit.
5:38: So how do they make sure the rim is exactly 10 feet above the court? They hang a 10-foot pole from the rim and adjust accordingly. It's effective. It's just not as dramatic as coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) in Hoosiers with his tape measure.
5:46: The playing surface is actually intact and playable, with baskets and shot clock, less than two hours after Mike Modano's shootout winner.
5:49: Workers continue to set up press row, complete with TV and computer monitors.
6:00: American Airlines Center general manager Dave Brown said the change went nearly perfect, without any mechanical breakdown. "A less-than-two-hour turnaround is pretty remarkable," Brown said. "The staff was on their game. We have one of the best crews in the industry." He also admits that a 30-minute buffer was built-in to the time frame.
6:12: Mavericks center DeSagana Diop becomes the first player to step on the court. He shoots a free throw from the far end and no one could tell that a hockey game had ended less than 2½ hours before.