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2008 NHL Winter Classic
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2008 NHL Winter Classic
The 2008 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. It was the league's inaugural Winter Classic game, and was contested between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres; the Penguins won, 2–1, in a shootout on a goal by captain Sidney Crosby. The event was the NHL's second outdoor regular season game (following the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), and the first outdoor regular season professional ice hockey game to be played in the United States. Due to the snowy conditions, the game was at the time colloquially referred to as the "Ice Bowl" by residents of the area and Sabres' fans. The event was sponsored by AMP Energy, and was televised in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC and RDS.
The game, which was played at a temporary ice rink built on the football field, set an NHL attendance record of 71,217. The Sabres held a Winter Classic "house party" at HSBC Arena (now KeyBank Center) during the game where another 11,000 fans saw the game shown live on the arena's video scoreboard with synched-up audio from the team's radio coverage. The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team played a pre-game at the HSBC Arena as part of the house party festivities. Buffalo Sabres anthem singer Doug Allen sang the Canadian national anthem, as is customary at Sabres home games. Irish tenor Ronan Tynan performed "God Bless America" before the game at the stadium.
The success of the event has led to subsequent outdoor hockey games being scheduled and helped establish the Winter Classic as an annual NHL tradition.
Construction of the outdoor rink began on December 24, the day after the Buffalo Bills played their last home game of the 2007 NFL season. It was built between the 16-yard lines of the football field, under the supervision of NHL facilities operations manager Dan Craig. Crew members first removed the goal posts and laid down large tarps over the field to protect it from the weather. Initially, six inches (150 mm) of the nine-inch (230 mm) crown of the football field had to be leveled using styrofoam insulation. On top of the newly created flat surface, three inches (75 mm) of plywood with plastic covering were laid as a base for the necessary piping. At the same time the boards were being put in place, an inch of sand was spread amongst the piping and was then wet by a combination of hoses and timely rain so it could freeze into a rink overnight and be painted four days before the game. Another ¾ of an inch of ice was added to complete the playing surface. Due to the inclement weather and lack of a rink system, Craig later stated that the fact that they were able to succeed was remarkable. The NHL had created a backup plan in case the weather became unmanageable.
After this experience, Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that the League would like more time to prepare the site for the next outdoor game. He also wanted to ensure that not too many outdoor games are held so the event can remain special. This sentiment was further echoed by hockey pundits, such as Scott Burnside.
The game was attended by 71,217 people, setting an NHL attendance record. The former NHL record of 57,167 was set at the 2003 Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Alberta, on November 22, 2003. Georges Laraque and Ty Conklin are the only two players who have played in both the Heritage Classic and Winter Classic games. They both played for the Oilers and Penguins, respectively, for each game. While it was the record for a professional game, it fell short of the then all-time number of 74,554, which was set in "The Cold War" between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University on October 6, 2001. Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and Penguins forward Adam Hall both played for Michigan State in that game.
Approximately 41,000 tickets to the game were made available to the general public, selling out within 30 minutes of their release on September 18, 2007. In the face of controversy about the quickness of ticket sales, an official spokesperson for the Sabres called it "a testament to how popular the Sabres are and how many people want to be part of the event." However, many Penguins fans were left out because they did not have the opportunity to purchase tickets after they became available to the city hosting the event, and they were frustrated by the lack of exclusivity for Penguins season-ticket holders. Game show host Pat Sajak attended the Winter Classic and spoke positively of his experience.
The game was televised in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and Le Réseau des sports. The game garnered a 2.2 rating and drew 3.75 million viewers. Nearly 7,000 seats at Ralph Wilson Stadium were obstructed due to television cameras for NBC's broadcast. NBC announcers Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk stood on a constructed perch by the penalty boxes. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson also announced the game from behind the penalty boxes, with Greg Millen between the benches.
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2008 NHL Winter Classic AI simulator
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2008 NHL Winter Classic
The 2008 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. It was the league's inaugural Winter Classic game, and was contested between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres; the Penguins won, 2–1, in a shootout on a goal by captain Sidney Crosby. The event was the NHL's second outdoor regular season game (following the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), and the first outdoor regular season professional ice hockey game to be played in the United States. Due to the snowy conditions, the game was at the time colloquially referred to as the "Ice Bowl" by residents of the area and Sabres' fans. The event was sponsored by AMP Energy, and was televised in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC and RDS.
The game, which was played at a temporary ice rink built on the football field, set an NHL attendance record of 71,217. The Sabres held a Winter Classic "house party" at HSBC Arena (now KeyBank Center) during the game where another 11,000 fans saw the game shown live on the arena's video scoreboard with synched-up audio from the team's radio coverage. The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team played a pre-game at the HSBC Arena as part of the house party festivities. Buffalo Sabres anthem singer Doug Allen sang the Canadian national anthem, as is customary at Sabres home games. Irish tenor Ronan Tynan performed "God Bless America" before the game at the stadium.
The success of the event has led to subsequent outdoor hockey games being scheduled and helped establish the Winter Classic as an annual NHL tradition.
Construction of the outdoor rink began on December 24, the day after the Buffalo Bills played their last home game of the 2007 NFL season. It was built between the 16-yard lines of the football field, under the supervision of NHL facilities operations manager Dan Craig. Crew members first removed the goal posts and laid down large tarps over the field to protect it from the weather. Initially, six inches (150 mm) of the nine-inch (230 mm) crown of the football field had to be leveled using styrofoam insulation. On top of the newly created flat surface, three inches (75 mm) of plywood with plastic covering were laid as a base for the necessary piping. At the same time the boards were being put in place, an inch of sand was spread amongst the piping and was then wet by a combination of hoses and timely rain so it could freeze into a rink overnight and be painted four days before the game. Another ¾ of an inch of ice was added to complete the playing surface. Due to the inclement weather and lack of a rink system, Craig later stated that the fact that they were able to succeed was remarkable. The NHL had created a backup plan in case the weather became unmanageable.
After this experience, Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that the League would like more time to prepare the site for the next outdoor game. He also wanted to ensure that not too many outdoor games are held so the event can remain special. This sentiment was further echoed by hockey pundits, such as Scott Burnside.
The game was attended by 71,217 people, setting an NHL attendance record. The former NHL record of 57,167 was set at the 2003 Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Alberta, on November 22, 2003. Georges Laraque and Ty Conklin are the only two players who have played in both the Heritage Classic and Winter Classic games. They both played for the Oilers and Penguins, respectively, for each game. While it was the record for a professional game, it fell short of the then all-time number of 74,554, which was set in "The Cold War" between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University on October 6, 2001. Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and Penguins forward Adam Hall both played for Michigan State in that game.
Approximately 41,000 tickets to the game were made available to the general public, selling out within 30 minutes of their release on September 18, 2007. In the face of controversy about the quickness of ticket sales, an official spokesperson for the Sabres called it "a testament to how popular the Sabres are and how many people want to be part of the event." However, many Penguins fans were left out because they did not have the opportunity to purchase tickets after they became available to the city hosting the event, and they were frustrated by the lack of exclusivity for Penguins season-ticket holders. Game show host Pat Sajak attended the Winter Classic and spoke positively of his experience.
The game was televised in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and Le Réseau des sports. The game garnered a 2.2 rating and drew 3.75 million viewers. Nearly 7,000 seats at Ralph Wilson Stadium were obstructed due to television cameras for NBC's broadcast. NBC announcers Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk stood on a constructed perch by the penalty boxes. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson also announced the game from behind the penalty boxes, with Greg Millen between the benches.