Melbourne, Australia — When the NHL built an ice rink above the tennis court at Rod Laver Arena, home of the Australian Open, it included some creative touches. The result was a Grand Slam.
Faceoff dots look like tennis balls, from blue at center ice to reds across the rest of the ice. The red line contains the outlines of the tennis courts. The blue lines aren’t just blue; it’s a distinctive shade of blue inspired by the Rod Laver Arena tennis court that produced champions like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The details will add to the atmosphere when the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings play two preseason games at Rod Laver Arena in the 2023 NHL World Series – Melbournethe first NHL event in the southern hemisphere.
Games will begin at midnight ET and will be broadcast on NHL Network and ESPN+ in the United States; Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ in Canada; and 9Go, 9Now, ESPN and the ESPN app in Australia.
“With all the planning and discussions that took place leading up to these games in Melbourne, we wanted to do something special that would create a connection between Rod Laver Arena and the NHL,” said Derek King, senior director of facilities operations of the NHL. “We’ve been doing this for years at our outdoor games and All-Star Games.”
For example, during the 2022 NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, faceoff dots looked like poker chips.
