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Ice Bowl 2008 Is Official By: Brian Campbell  |
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 It had been hinted at, it had been talked about and swirled around the NHL for weeks and months, but now it is official; the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins will meet head to head in the first ever NHL outdoor hockey game ever held in the United States. The historic match-up was made official in a press conference at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Monday, September 17.
“Buffalo seemed like the terrific place to have our first outdoor game in the United States,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman from Monday’s press conference. “Because of the loyal US and Canadian hockey fans in Buffalo and the surrounding areas, this is the right place, the right time and the right teams in order to do this.”
 The AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic 2008, which concludes a home-and-home series against the Penguins, will take place at the home of the Buffalo Bills, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, at 1:08pm, on New Years Day, 1/1/08. The game will be carried by NBC.
Having played in an outdoor game already while at Michigan State, Sabres netminder Ryan Miller expressed his enthusiasm to be able to do it again, “It is definitely going to bring the playoff atmosphere back to Buffalo. I’m just happy that the NHL chose us to take part in this.” He says the game will be vastly different from those the team is used to, “Yeah, it is going to be different. We are going to be outside, no roof, no walls, and then there is going to be 74,000 fans watching.” He then went on to compare it  to a football game, “You know how football players get pumped up before each down, each play. That’s what the game is going to be like. I’m going to feel like that.”
Bettman stated that the ice for the game will be ready to go on 12/31/07 and that the players will then be able to stake the ice soon after.
“How are we going to stay warm out there, that’s my biggest concern,” added Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell after he was asked by Rick Jeanneret what problems there might be playing outside. “What are we going to wear under our jerseys, and will they have heaters in front of us on the bench?”
Of course the temperature is an issue, or at least it could be. The average temperature in Buffalo at the end of December, beginning of January is 25 degrees. Bettman stated that problems start to arise once the temperature closes in on 55 degrees. If that were to happen, Bettman said, the league has contingency plans in place, but need  to work some details, so they will be released to the public at a later date.
“The last time I played hockey outside, my brother and I brought the Playstation out onto the porch,” joked Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters.
Tickets for the game will go on sale at 10am, Tuesday, September 18.
“It is a great tribute to the game of hockey, and all of its origins,” said Bettman. “We are honored to be able to have this game take place in Buffalo.” |
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