The Rogers Place arena in Edmonton, which is set to host the National Hockey League’s playoffs in just a few weeks was damaged by a thunderstorm on Thursday evening, according to the arena’s Twitter account.
In a series of follow up tweets on Friday, the Oilers Entertainment Group said that damage the arena experienced was due to a significant water flow mixed with hail, “which led to excess pressure on the facility’s storm drainage system causing two pipe couplings to fail.”
The arena suffered some water damage in the Ford Hall, and some smaller leaks in other parts of the building, but the water damage is not expected to change any plans regarding the NHL’s restart.
One was located above the terminus of Ford Hall & the other was located on the mezzanine level corridor on the southwest side of #RogersPlace. The water damage is restricted to those two areas of the building, with the terminus experiencing more significant water damage.
— Rogers Place (@RogersPlace) July 17, 2020
“Crews have begun work on the affected areas & we do not foresee any significant delays or barriers to either Oilers training camp or preparations & activities related to our hosting as NHL hub city for the 2020 StanleyCup Playoffs,” the group said on Friday.
At a news conference on Friday, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said that preliminary assessment of the damage to the arena is not structural and that it will be able to hold NHL games.
“The damage is cosmetic and is to the roof’s surface, as opposed to any structural damage,” Iveson said.
The NHL chose Edmonton and Toronto to be its hub cities for the playoffs which will start on Aug. 1.
With files from The Canadian Press
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