The outdoor game between the Penguins and Sabres will be played on January 1, 2008 at 1:00 EST at the Ralph Wilson Stadium. How big is the stadium? It seats 73,967 people and is the home of the Buffalo Bills. This is going to be a massive event. The 2003 NHL Heritage Classic outdoor game in Edmonton was held at Commonwealth Stadium with 57,167 people in attendance (a record for attendance at a hockey game) as well as 2.747 million people watching on TV (another record).
What better place to hold an outdoor game in the U.S. than in hockey-mad Buffalo! Love it.

No one can forget how cold it was at the 2003 outdoor game (-18 degrees celsius, -30 with the wind chill, clear skies). The same will not happen in Buffalo. It could be the opposite. It is currently above 0 degrees celsius with rain and snow in Buffalo. The weather is forecasted to be much of the same by January 1. So Crosby may have to work the snow shovel in between faceoffs. Could you imagine how backyard-ish the game will be if it snows? Coolness. Expect the unexpected.

Links

-The promo video for the 2008 Winter Classic starring Ryan Miller. Pretty cool.
-NBC's commercial for the game, found at NHL.com, as well as links to interviews with players who played in the 2003 outdoor game.
-A few highlights from the 2003 Heritage Classic.
-Quick fan-cam footage of the 2003 HC.
-Raj Binder from This Hour Has 22 Minutes visits the 2003 HC game. Funny stuff.

T Tags: NHL 2008+Winter+Classic outdoor+hockey+game Buffalo New+York Ralph+Wilson+Stadium video Penguins Sabres 2003+Heritage+Classic Edmonton