Ice, Ice, Amalie!
If you have ever stepped foot into Amalie Arena, there is a good chance you have come across the artwork created by these two gentlemen:
Meet Yuri (left) & Tre (right), whose department is known throughout the arena as the “Ice Room.”
Welcome to their office:
This is where they report at around 9:30am every day to begin creating the many ice sculptures that decorate the arena. That door you see straight ahead is where all of the magic happens. Tre & Yuri use around 650 blocks each hockey season (not including playoffs or specialty items).
This “block”, refers to a 300 pound crystal clear chunk of ice that Tre & Yuri carve into anything you can imagine; including things like centerpieces at seafood tables, serving platters, and pieces of art to commemorate a special night.
This was a warm day in the Ice room. The temperature typically stays at a toasty 13-17 degrees Fahrenheit. These two gentlemen are so accustomed to the freezing temperatures that they stay in it sometimes for up to 5 hours at a time, while others would be ready to escape the frigid environment after a few seconds.
Below is a quick time-lapse video to show you what a typical game day looks like in this department. This was for the Detroit game on Wednesday, February 3rd:
So, to break this process down just a bit further…
First comes the overall idea. To illustrate what they have in mind, Tre & Yuri will mold a small piece of clay, to act as a rough draft of the finished product. In the examples below, the guitar clay replica was for one of Amalie Arena’s longest & most-respected employees, Elmer Straub, at his going away party. The skull clay piece on was for a new food platter in the Chase club.
Once Tre & Yuri have a solid grasp of the artistic direction in which they plan to go, then comes the creation of the ice:
This is 600 pounds of solid ice, which will be taken out, carved, and turned into..
The Finished Products:
Amalie Arena is able produce pieces of art like this for every event. It is an asset that separates us from many other facilities who have to outsource everything.
Here are a few other exceptional pieces by Tre & Yuri:
Another piece made for the Chase Club
Here are two pieces made for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. And yes, those are real skates in ice!
Just your average fire made out of ice.
At our annual Bolts Family Carnival, this ice hockey table was one of the most popular stops.
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