The Ice Bowl - Buffalo

Opening Ceremonys - Wikipedia The Ice Bowl is the name given to the 2008 NHL Winter Classic played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, January 1, 2008 which set an NHL attendance record of 71,21. The game pitted our Buffalo Sabres against the Pittsburgh Penguins which we lost 2-1 (:>{.

"Buffalo has two seasons, an old vaudeville gag goes.

Winter … and the Fourth of July.

The outdoor game ... honors both of Buffalo's vaudevillian seasons: It will be a wintry mix of fireworks and thermal underwear.

... billed by the NHL as the "Winter Classic" ... known by locals as the "Ice Bowl." More than 73,000 will watch ... Sabres say they could sell 50,000 tickets more.

That's because in Buffalo this game is more than a mere event. It is a celebration of the city, its hockey culture and its Northernness.

...

"My wife has a saying," Falla says. " 'Anyone can love summer. To love winter you have to carry your sunshine around with you.' "

...

That's why Buffalonians will bring buckets of self-generated sunshine to their Winter Classic. The Fourth of July is about love of country. New Year's Day will be about love of hockey and family and the hard-won joys of hard ice under a winter sky." ¹

Notes & References