2008 NHL Winter Classic
The first Winter Classic: the Penguins beat the Sabres 2–1 in a shootout in the snow near Buffalo.
The 2008 NHL Winter Classic was the first Winter Classic, an outdoor regular-season game played on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 2–1 in a shootout, with captain Sidney Crosby scoring the deciding goal. It was the NHL's second outdoor regular-season game, after the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, and the first outdoor regular-season professional hockey game played in the United States.
Quick Facts
- Visitor
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Home
- Buffalo Sabres
- Visitor total
- 2
- Home total
- 1
- Date
- January 1, 2008
- Arena
- Ralph Wilson Stadium
- City
- Orchard Park
- Attendance
- 71,217
Facts from the source article.
Background
The rink was built on the stadium's football field, and the crowd of 71,217 set an NHL attendance record. Because of the snowy conditions local fans called it the 'Ice Bowl'. The game was sponsored by AMP Energy and televised on NBC in the United States and on CBC and RDS in Canada, and its success made the Winter Classic an annual NHL tradition.
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