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Weather Concerns Grow As Winter Classic Nears

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The NHL Winter Classic is scheduled to be played on Saturday, but the weather forecast could delay or cancel the event.

The early forecast is calling for a temperature of 50 degrees. However, that is not the biggest concern. In 1991, an outdoor game was played in Las Vegas in 85-degree heat.

However, rain is expected to hit the area, which will cause a host of problems for the sheet of ice.

If it rains at the start of the game, the wet surface will be impossible to stickhandle and shoot on.

Once that rain freezes, the sheet will become uneven and rough, which will bring the players' safety into question.

The NHL does have a plan in place should Mother Nature not cooperate on Saturday.

If the game needs to be postponed, they will try again on Sunday. If conditions do not improve for Sunday, the Winter Classic would be canceled and the game would be moved inside.

If the event in canceled, ticketholders must contact the entity through which they purchased the tickets to get a refund of the ticket's face value. Service charges and delivery fees will not be refunded.

For more information on the refund policy visit NHL.com

Meanwhile, crews continue to work on transforming Heinz Field into a hockey rink.

Over the next 48 hours, lines and faceoff circles will be painted.

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