It’s wintertime in the NHL and that means that the annual Winter Classic will soon be upon us. Though once must-see TV, the concept of the yearly outdoor spectacle has been run into the ground by sheer frequency. With the Winter Classic, Heritage Classic and Stadium Series all occurring at various points, the tradition doesn’t feel anywhere near as special as it did once upon a time and the declining ratings prove it. Nevertheless, it’s become ingrained in the sport and fans are always wondering who will be involved next.
Though they haven’t exactly been a must-see team themselves throughout that time, the Buffalo Sabres have participated in three outdoor games dating back to 2008 and have fared better than some would expect, even if they came out on the short end twice. The Sabres are currently 1-0-2 in games without a roof and all three have been memorable for one reason or another. With the weather outside turning most places into icy wonderlands, let’s embrace that spirit and have a look back at the three times the Sabres played without a roof.
1/1/2008: Ralph Wilson Stadium – Orchard Park, NY
Sometimes there’s just no outdoing the original. Despite the resounding success of the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton, it would be five years before the NHL revived the concept. On New Year’s Day 2008, the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins played the first-ever outdoor regular season game in the United States. A then-NHL record 71,217 raucous fans packed Ralph Wilson Stadium in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park (home of the Bills) to witness the “Ice Bowl” as Buffalonians called it, and they were not disappointed.
The Sabres were in an odd place at the time, trying to forge a new path after the departures of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury the previous summer. On the other hand, the Penguins, led by the dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, were the eventual Eastern Conference champions. As one could surmise, the Pens were heavy favorites, but you wouldn’t have known that from how the game itself actually played out. Decked out in throwback jerseys that have become a tradition of the event, the players took to the ice and the adventure began.
Snow fell from the sky throughout, making the playing conditions tough for both sides and giving the vibe of a true pond hockey game. Pittsburgh jumped out in front 21 seconds in when Colby Armstrong beat Ryan Miller off a Crosby rebound, but that doesn’t accurately reflect Buffalo’s dominance and the Sabres actually outshot the Penguins commandingly, 37-25. Brian Campbell knotted the score early in the second, but that was all that Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin (a Sabre the previous season) would yield. Though far less busy, Miller was also strong and matched his former backup.
Tied at one at the end of regulation, the Sabres continued to dominate in overtime and held the Penguins without a shot, but couldn’t get any of their own seven past Conklin. After the teams traded goals in the first two rounds of the eventual shootout, Crosby delivered the decisive tally to send Pittsburgh home with the win. Unfortunately for Sabres fans, it wouldn’t be the last time in his career that he bested Miller on the big stage.
The loss stung for the Sabres and was actually the fourth in what would become a 10-game slide. However, the event had been such a resounding triumph that it didn’t matter, history had been made. The inaugural Winter Classic lived up to the hype and the NHL greenlit it as a yearly occurrence. The term “epic” in sports is exhaustively overused, but in this case, it actually applies. The atmosphere in the stadium (both literally and figuratively) was incredible and both teams played as if the Stanley Cup was on the line. Over 30 outdoor games have been held since, but the 2008 incarnation was a truly grand occasion that has yet to be surpassed 16 years later.
1/1/2018: Citi Field – Queens, NY
Buffalo both hosted and participated in an outdoor game during the 2017-18 season, but strangely enough, not the same one. The Sabres hosted the 2018 World Junior Championship and the IIHF evidently wanted to get in on the open-air fun, moving the annual Canada-United States game from KeyBank Center to the renamed New Era Field. But rather than hold the planned Winter Classic between the Sabres and New York Rangers there as well, the NHL opted to hold it in New York City, eventually settling on Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
As strange as all that was, Buffalonians didn’t mind and the prospect of seeing their team in the annual spectacle again served as a helpful distraction. The 2017-18 campaign was dreadful for the Sabres, one of their worst ever, and their outdoor matchup with New York may have been the lone highlight. The Rangers weren’t anything special either at the time and the game had the potential to be quite the snoozer, but both teams seized the spotlight and showed up ready to play.
41,821 fans braved a sunny but frigid New Year’s Day in Queens, with the 20-degree temperature exacerbated further by the wind. However, they were rewarded handily and the intra-state rivals put on quite the showcase. The Rangers led 2-0 halfway through the first on goals from Paul Carey and Michael Grabner. Despite the bumpy start, Robin Lehner stood tall and kept his team within striking distance. Henrik Lundqvist was plenty busy at the other end and the Sabres eventually tied the game on goals from Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen. Just as it had a decade prior, the game went to overtime.
The Sabres had been in this spot before, but unfortunately for them, it ended the exact same way. Buffalo defenseman Marco Scandella allowed JT Miller to sneak behind him on the powerplay in the extra period and he cashed a rebound to send the crowd home happy. Though they had nothing to be ashamed of, it was a lackluster ending to perhaps the Sabres’ best effort of that entire season and it spoiled a marvelous effort from Lehner, who finished with 39 saves. Nevertheless, the 10th anniversary of the Winter Classic that started it all went far beyond expectations and remains one of the better ones played.
3/13/2022: Tim Hortons Field – Hamilton, ON
While the Winter Classic is an annual occurrence open to every NHL team, its sister event the Heritage Classic is held more infrequently and was conceptualized as exclusive to Canada. However, by the time the 2022 event was announced, every team north of the border except the Toronto Maple Leafs had appeared at least once. Rather than tap someone for a repeat, the league decided to loosen the criteria and selected Toronto’s longtime rival from just down the road, Buffalo. The decision was questioned by some, but the Sabres are essentially a Canadian team in spirit, aren’t they?
Strangely, neither team was given the hosting honors this time. Perhaps to honor the Golden Horseshoe region as a whole, Hamilton, Ontario was chosen as the venue. Its halfway proximity to both cities made it a true neutral site, adding an aura of which team would have more of a showing. As had been the case in the previous two games, the Sabres were in a curious place at the time, rebuilding after a disastrous, COVID-shortened 2021 season. The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, were cruising toward the playoffs and were expected to make short work of the contest. But that’s not what happened.
Though Toronto was a far better team that season, Buffalo had the edge against its classic foe throughout. On a cold, windy and occasionally snowy day in front of 26,119 fans (owing to Canada’s COVID protocols at the time), the Battle of the Queen Elizabeth Way went outside for the first time ever. The Leafs struck first as expected, but the Sabres had an answer for everything thrown at them and eventually pulled away, stunning the crowd and analysts alike with a 5-2 win. Vinnie Hinostroza and Peyton Krebs scored twice and 40-year-old Craig Anderson made 36 saves to help the Sabres to their first-ever outdoor victory.
As one could expect from that score, the game had plenty of fireworks and eventually got chippy. Multiple scrums broke out and Toronto superstar Auston Matthews received a two-game suspension for cross-checking Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin in the neck, Dahlin was not injured. The third time proved to be the charm for the Sabres and claiming a victory over their most hated rival on such a prestigious stage made it all the sweeter.
Will the Sabres Go Outside Again?
It’s been almost two decades since the Sabres hosted that glorious first Winter Classic, and receiving the honor again could be in their future. With the Bills in the process of constructing New Highmark Stadium, scheduled to open in 2026, there have been many rumblings that outdoor hockey could return to Buffalo.
“This is a great sports town,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “It’s a great hockey market. Yes, when there’s a new stadium, we’ll be more than happy to bring back an outdoor game.”
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Whether or not that will come to fruition is anyone’s guess, but given how successful the original event was and how much the NHL loves nostalgia, one would have to think that it’s a very real possibility. Until then, we can only wonder. Even if their current team remains a disaster, Sabres fans have plenty of good outdoor memories to look back on, even if they came in defeat.
