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Buffalo Sabres Should Get Another Winter Classic Soon

By Melissa Kania

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Buffalo Sabres fans, let me take you back. All the way back to January 1, 2008, when the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first-ever “Winter Classic” at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. It marked only the fifth outdoor game in NHL history and the first since 2003 when the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens faced off in the Heritage Classic.

The atmosphere was just incredible. Over 71,000 people were in attendance. The temperature was – obviously – chilly. And just as the teams headed for puck drop, a light snowfall presided over everything, making the entire football stadium into one big giant snow globe.

It was picture-perfect, not just for fans, players and media in attendance, but made for a great view for those watching at home on both NBC and CBC throughout the United States and Canada.

Fast forward to the present day.

Since that day in 2008, there have been 13 additional outdoor NHL games – none of which have involved the Buffalo Sabres.

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That includes six Winter Classics, two Heritage Classics and five Stadium Series games; and this coming season, we’ll add three more outdoor games to that list. Again, none of which will involve the Buffalo Sabres.

Of course, the Buffalo Sabres aren’t the only team getting slighted by the NHL in terms of outdoor game appearances. At the very least, the Sabres have appeared in one outdoor game in the past seven and a half years; the same can’t be said for every team.

Here’s the breakdown of outdoor games since 2009 (including those games scheduled for 2016).

The Chicago Blackhawks lead the league with four outdoor game appearances, including two Winter Classics and two Stadium Series games. Then the Red Wings and Rangers each have appeared in three outdoor games since 2009. Boston, Los Angeles, Montreal, Philadelphia and Washington each have two. Pittsburgh has appeared in two outdoor games since 2009, and three since 2008 including the Winter Classic versus the Sabres.

Then Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York (Islanders), Ottawa, San Jose, Toronto and Vancouver each have one.

Multiple teams have not appeared in ANY NHL outdoor games, including the St. Louis Blues, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Arizona Coyotes. Even a team like the Edmonton Oilers hasn’t appeared outdoors in years – since that first Heritage Classic in 2003.

So, NHL, when will it be time for the Buffalo Sabres to appear in another outdoor NHL game, whether hosted by Buffalo or played elsewhere?

To open the question further – when will it be time to spread the wealth of outdoor games around a little more to include those teams that have yet to appear in *any*? I’d be willing to bet that the fun folks in Columbus could put on a good show, or that a team like Edmonton could attract a crowd with players like Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall and the like.

I know, in the end, a lot of this boils down to a) what will sell tickets b) what will sell merchandise c) what will bring in media coverage and the like, all of which boils down to the money and marketing factors, which partly explains why a big-market team like Chicago has appeared in so many outdoor games. But perhaps it’s time to spread the wealth.

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