With the hockey rink nearing completion, excitement has built for Feb. 11's Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic, featuring Ohio State and Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
"In the hockey world, it seems like everybody is mentioning Lambeau Field and what's going on in Green Bay," Executive Vice President and CEO John Jones said.
Construction workers have painted on all logos, advertisements and base lines and installed a second layer of ice. The crew plans to finalize the cosmetics on the outside of the rink, including the glass on the exterior in time for Friday afternoon's practice sessions for both teams.
Jones said the feedback from both participants and observers will determine whether the game becomes an annual or one-time event.
"We're going to listen to the fans. We want to know what the players and the coaches feel about it," Jones said. "If it's positive, then we'll go from there and see what we can do to potentially have it happen again."
In the interim the hockey game has created a buzz around Green Bay. Hotel rooms are filling up and local merchants will receive a boost during the normally quiet month of February when Packers players have dispersed across the country for the offseason.
"Hockey could mean a very, very good weekend for Green Bay in the stadium and around town," Jones said. "That's incredibly important. That's what we committed to do when we redeveloped the stadium."
