In June of 1949, the NHL decided to paint the ice surface white. This was done by adding white paint to the water before freezing. Previously, the ice surface was just frozen water on concrete, which made a dull grey colour. By "whitening" the ice surface, it made seeing and following the puck much easier, especially on the relatively new medium of television. Detroit, led by the new Production Line of Lindsay, Howe and Abel won the regular season. The Production line led the league in scoring 1-2-3.