Dan Craig returns to Edmonton for final Rogers Place preparations

The man who was responsible for the ice during part of Edmonton Oilers' glory days will oversee ice-making at the new Rogers Place arena.

Dan Craig, the NHL's senior facility operations director, will work with the team in Edmonton to get the ice ready for next month's opening.

The Oilers play their first preseason game at Rogers Place on Sept. 26.

Craig expects the large space may pose some challenges for the Edmonton ice-making team, which has to consider air temperature and humidity levels.

"There will be a couple of little hiccups along the way, but I think they're going to get it under control," Craig said Wednesday on CBC's Edmonton AM.

"That's always been the goal from (the initial) design of that facility, that it will be the best in the league."

Craig started his career making ice at what was then the Edmonton Coliseum. He spent 11 seasons with the Oilers before moving to the NHL in 1997.  

Craig credits Glen Sather, then the Oiler's president and general manager, for getting him the job with the NHL. Sather was fed up with how ice quality varied from rink to rink, Craig said.

"When you have a skilled team that's built on speed and on passing, and all of a sudden you have to really second-guess where you're passing the puck or what you're doing, it really hurts the flow of the game."

Craig said it usually takes 48 to 72 hours to make ice. The ideal humidity levels are below 50 per cent.