Montreal Canadiens' 3-D Pregame Show Combines Fire And Ice

The Montreal Canadiens were so excited for their first home game in their NHL playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning that they lit their arena on fire.

No, not a real fire, but a digital, 3-D pregame introduction that turned the ice into a high-tech projector screen ahead of Game 3 on Sunday and culminated in a raging inferno.

They aren't the first team to turn their playing surface into a giant jumbo-tron. Last month, the Cleveland Cavaliers used their court for a video montage for the retirement of  Zydrunas Ilgauskas's number.

The Cavs' commemorative video honoring their all-time leader in games played, blocks and rebounds was put together by Quince Imaging. For the tech savvy, here's how Quince describes their work on the Cleveland production:

Using a combination of 3-D mapping techniques and video content produced by the Cavs' own QTV team and Think Media, Quince transformed the court surface and surrounding screens into an immersive video environment.

Utilizing the latest revision of Pandoras Box version 5.5 and the newly released version of Warper, video content was aligned to the graphic design elements on the Cavs basketball court.

The system was comprised of 16 HD projectors, creating a pixel space of 3600×1878.

For everyone else, the bottom line is that this video was much more than the typical pre-game highlight reel and light show.

Quince also produced the Miami Heat's Ring Ceremony this fall and the Jordan Brand Classic's pre-game introduction last week.

After the Canadiens' impressive pump-up production on Sunday, they beat the Lightning 3-2. On Tuesday night, Montreal completed the sweep of the Lightning, their first series win since 2010. They'll face the winner of the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings series.

Can a fake fire keep the storied Canadiens hot during the playoffs? Keep your eyes on the ice.