The Buffalo Sabres are in the drawing to host a game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Detroit is also in the drawing to host the game that will be on New Year’s Day and is supposedly to be called “The Ice Bowl”.
Now while Pittsburgh will be a good game, wouldn’t it be better to have the Florida Panthers or San Jose Sharks come play in the snow? We all know how much we love having the Dolphins up in December to play the Bills. How about one of those warm-weather NHL teams comes and experiences a real western NY winter!
We will wait and see like always but what can be more exciting than 80,000 screaming fans outside in the freezing Buffalo Winter. Remember the parties in the plaza, well now multiply that by twenty and that is what you can expect come January.
> [B]Jan. 1: Penguins at Sabres. In all likelihood, this tilt will be contested outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium. According to a league source, the deal with the venue hasn't yet been finalized. The same source is convinced, however, that an agreement will be struck and the game will be played outdoors on New Year's Day as first reported by ESPN.com last month during the Stanley Cup finals. The Pens-Sabres game will be televised in the U.S. by NBC, which pushed to play the game on New Year's Day. If the event is finalized, it will be the league's second venture into the great outdoors. Montreal visited frigid Edmonton for the Heritage Classic in November 2003. That game drew a crowd of 57,167 despite below-zero temperatures at Commonwealth Stadium.
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and if most of you dont know… im from pittsburgh:wave:
ya, i know im a pens fan… BUT you guys have history on your side…
ryan millers already played in a venue like this with “cold war” games
When archrivals MSU and Michigan face-off in “The Cold War” - the largest hockey spectacle ever - at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, it will be a battle between the CCHA’s preseason favorites and two teams ranked in the top 5 nationally.
The game is expected to break the world record for hockey attendance, which stands at 55,000.
And while many of the 72,000-plus fans expected to jam Spartan Stadium probably don’t know the teams’ rosters by heart, both the Spartans and Wolverines surely recognize what’s at stake - two potentially important CCHA points.
“It’s a meaningful league game - I had to make sure something was going to be at stake,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said. “Michigan is a darn good team and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Saturday’s main event is definitely hockey, but the Athletic Department has augmented the contest with a pregame laser light show and a 13-minute country concert by Shannon Brown during each intermission.
Mason predicts about a 50-50 split in Saturday’s crowd between die-hard hockey fans and people attending for the sheer spectacle. And that’s OK, he says.
“I think it’s going to be a Michigan State hockey, basketball, football, baseball, track, women’s basketball, volleyball crowd,” he said. “I think we’re going to have people from all walks that you can possibly think of because it’s become more of an event.”
But the 23-year MSU foreman is far more concerned with what will transpire on the ice than in the stands. For one thing, the temporary stadium ice rink is 3 feet shorter and 5 feet wider (197-by-90 feet) than the sheet in Munn Ice Arena.
And the weather, board liveliness and lighting are also big unknowns, although both teams should have better grasps on those variables after practices Friday evening and morning skates Saturday.
The Spartans canceled Thursday’s planned skate on the rink because the ice was not ready.
As for Saturday’s game, both teams are young and inexperienced, particularly up front. The Wolverines have ten freshmen on their roster and the Spartans aren’t too far behind with eight. As many as six rookie forwards could lace up for each team Saturday.
“Whenever you get 18 (freshmen) for both sides, obviously, it’s going to play a big factor in the game,” said freshman center Jim Slater, who missed last weekend’s Green and White game and an exhibition against Queen’s University (Ontario) with a groin pull. He said he’ll “definitely” play Saturday.
“I’m going to be real nervous. Especially for my first game in college being in front of 70,000 fans.” The Spartans will likely rely on their highly touted defensive unit - paced by Hobey Baker Award-winning junior goaltender Ryan Miller - to shut down U-M center Mike Cammalleri, a second team All-American, and the rest of the Wolverines’ offense.
i MAY make this trip… if you can secure me a ticket for it… you know ill pay you, and ill make the trip… i plan on coming home to the burgh for christmas so i can make that trip being 3 hours away !!!
