Monday marks the start of the transformation of Nationals Park from centerfield to center ice.

The countdown begins with the ice for the 2015 Winter Classic, in which the Washington Capitals will play the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationals Park on New Year's Day. The construction of the outdoor hockey rink is a unique challenge which requires help from the world's largest mobile refrigeration unit.

The 53-foot trailer, dubbed the "Ice Plant," arrived Monday after a 480-mile journey from Toronto. It houses state-of-the-art ice-making and ice-monitoring equipment.

Dan Craig, senior director of facilities operations for the National Hockey League, is the master of the ice. He oversees this week-long project, and a crew of 200 workers. Despite all that goes into the production of the Winter Classic, Craig says there is nothing special about the water used to create the ice.

"I'm using city water," Craig says. "If you can drink it, we can make a sheet of ice out of it. That's my philosophy, always has been."