Zamboni digs divot in ice at The Joe, delays third period by 36 minutes (Video)

The second period between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders ended at 3:33pm EST. The third period began at 4:25pm EST.

56 minutes is a bit longer than your standard NHL intermission; 36 minutes longer to be exact.

The Zamboni did it’s scrape during intermission; however, it snagged one of the metal pipes that anchors the goal to the ice. The pipe then dragged along the ice, creating a massive gash.

On the Islanders broadcast, they reported the gash to be so deep it nearly exposed the cement under the ice. Simply patting new ice in its place was not going to work.

The ice crew at The Joe furiously got to work patching the hole. Both John Tavares and Henrik Zetterberg were brought out to inspect the ice when it was deemed safe enough to do so.

According to The Detroit News, there was talk of scrapping the third period and playing another day because the players safety could not be guaranteed. The Red Wings were up 4-0 at that point, so it would simply be delaying the inevitable for the Islanders, who were making their final appearance at Joe Lewis Arena this season.

Once the ice got the all clear from the officials, both teams took the ice again without any major re-warm up.

The teams agreed to start in the opposite attacking zone of where they would normally be in the third period. At the ten minute mark, the teams switched ends. Players tried to avoid the area with the gash at first, but as play progressed, they avoided the area less and less.

The extended break didn’t appear to impact either team positively or negatively. Detroit still won the game handily by a score of 5-1.

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.

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