"Ice Bowl" creates hype for Sabres and Penguins fans, face-off to take place on New Year's day

CALEE PRINDLE
Staff Writer

The National Hockey League (NHL) gave a new definition to the coined slogan "take it outside" with an announcement that would make NHL history. The Buffalo Sabres will host the first NHL outdoor hockey game ever played in the United States, the second in the world.

Thirty minutes was all the time needed for fans to consume the 42,000 tickets first made available for this event formally known as the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic but casually referred to as the "Ice Bowl." The Buffalo Sabres are scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Penguins at 1 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 1 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills.

Presently, Ralph Wilson Stadium capacity surpasses 73,000. However, more than half of the remaining seats are being reserved for Sabres season ticket holders, Bills club seat holders, and Buffalo and Pittsburgh players. It was tallied that roughly 7,000 seats at the lowest levels are obstructed due to television broadcasting equipment.

Hope shined for fans when Larry Quinn, Managing Partner of the Buffalo Sabres, announced that the organization opened up 4,500 obstructed-view seats. There were three specific restrictions attached to this generous offering. First, a fan could not purchase a single ticket or buy more than four tickets. Secondly, one person in the group must be 16 years of age or younger.

Finally, only people with zip/postal codes from Southern Ontario and Western New York were qualified to purchase these tickets. Potential ticket buyers could then register on the Buffalo Sabres Web site to be pooled in a random selection for the inexpensive price of 10 dollars per ticket. Another 500 seats were donated to local charities associated with children.

"We wanted to make these tickets available to as many families and children who wanted to attend as possible," Quinn said, justifying the organization's reasoning for these specific restrictions.

Hockey outsiders may be raising questions such as "What's the big deal?" Any hockey admirer, whether for the Sabres or Penguins, considers this one of the prime events in hockey history for many reasons. These two teams are formed by some of leagues greatest young stars.

The Sabres, lead by Head Coach Lindy Ruff, headed into the 2007-08 season attempting to patch the holes left by their co-captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury who ended their stay in Buffalo during the free agent period. Buffalo stands at ninth place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-10-1 record. The dominant forces on the ice are goaltender Ryan Miller and center Derek Roy who leads the team in points with 17. They are followed by left wing Thomas Vanek, right wing Jason Pominville and defenseman Brian Campbell who all hold 16 points in their point column.

The Pittsburgh Penguins hold the 13th spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-11-2 record for the 2007-08 season. Star center Sidney Crosby has collected 33 points so far for the Penguins. Crosby has been the main focus of the Pittsburgh offense with the help of fellow teammate, center Evgeni Malkin who currently has 29 points.

Other factors adding to the hype is the potential to break the NHL attendance record which was set in 2003 at 57,167 during the most recent NHL outdoor game, the Heritage Classic in Edmonton, Alberta. Not only does the league want hockey fans present in Ralph Wilson Stadium, but also the bar is set high for this classic game to generate the largest television American audience ever to see an NHL game.

"The amount of fans there will be jaw-dropping," said sophomore business major Jonathan Maderer. "It will not be the weather leaving everyone chilled to the bone but the hockey comradery."

History will be made as this game is the NHL's first ever hockey game played outside in the United States. Adding to the local excitement is the fact that it is being hosted in Buffalo, which has the students of Fredonia buzzing uncontrollably at any mention of the two signature words, "Ice Bowl."

Freshman inclusive childhood education major and Sabres fan Melanie Mahoney has what she considers "the golden ticket."

"No matter who your favorite team is, no hockey fan can deny that this is a once in a lifetime experience," said Mahoney. "I mean, this is the first and there is only one first. I am glad the Sabres and their fans can be apart of it."

Contributing to this classic themed game will be both the vintage jerseys from both participating teams. Buffalo will sport their white version of their jersey worn from 1978-79 through the 1995-96 seasons. Pittsburgh will have on their powder blue jersey worn from 1968-69 through the 1972-73 seasons.

"One more historic footnote to the game," said Quinn, responding to the decision to wear each team's classic jerseys.

The ball drop on Tuesday Jan. 1 will mark the beginning of 2008 and a new year. For hockey fans, the drop of the puck on the ice of Ralph Wilson Stadium will leave a memorable brand on NHL history forever.