Construction of NHL rink begins at Levi’s Stadium

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Snow and ice aren’t supposed to affect the NHL’s outdoor games in California.

And yet, winter conditions already have factored into the buildup to the Feb. 21 game between the Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings at Levi’s Stadium: The truck that will supply the all-important surface for the event had to ditch a planned northerly route from Toronto to Santa Clara in order to avoid poor conditions in high-altitude passes.

Instead, the 22-wheel, 53-foot vehicle, custom built to handle the 96,500-pound refrigeration unit, took a more southerly approach. It went from Canada through customs, then down to St. Louis and through Amarillo, Texas, before reaching Southern California and heading north again. Bad weather going over a pass had delayed one truck en route to Pittsburgh in 2011, so last week the NHL changed course as soon as meteorologists suggested making alternate plans.

Despite the 500 extra miles tacked onto the journey, which took 4½ days, the massive, specialized truck pulled up to Levi’s Stadium on Monday. On Tuesday, the process of converting the 49ers’ stadium to an outdoor hockey rink will include the construction of a stage that will support the playing surface. Some work on the project was under way Monday, with scaffolding going up to support the pipes that will carry the nearly 20,000 gallons of recycled rainwater needed to create the 1¾-inch thick sheet of ice.

Dan Craig, the NHL’s senior director of facilities operations, said that water will begin to be sprayed to start forming the ice on Saturday (“Yes, happy Valentine’s Day!” he cracked) and the surface will be ready for skating next Tuesday.

In the meantime, Craig, who has been creating ice and building rinks for more than 40 years, is enjoying just his second outdoor game in California after last year’s game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

“I’m looking forward to the sunshine,” Craig said. “Last year, some of our crew was stuck in New York with storm after storm, and we were in (Los Angeles) in our polo shirts.”

The ice-making truck sits outside Levi’s Stadium, which will be the site of a Stadium Series game between the Sharks and Kings on Feb. 21. The ice-making truck sits outside Levi’s Stadium, which will be the site of a Stadium Series game between the Sharks and Kings on Feb. 21. Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Construction of NHL rink begins at Levi’s Stadium 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Sun won’t be a problem for next week’s game, which starts at 7 p.m. A crowd of 70,000 is expected for the event.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser.