Sabres Edge

Just wandered around The Ralph, including a stop at the top of the stadium, and it's amazing. The people in the upper section have the best seats, without a doubt.

Another intriguing sight is the number of Penguins fans in the house. Sidney Crosby's 87, in the usual black and retro blue variations, is all over the place. So, Penguins followers, how'd you get all the tickets? Nice job.

Speaking of jerseys, if I could have the money from one minute worth of souvenir sales inside the stadium, I could take off until after the All-Star break.

And as far as game notes go, Sabres PR guru Kevin Snow locked up the note of the year on the first day. He writes: "Both the Sabres and Penguins are 0-0-0 all-time on Tuesdays in January when playing a game outdoors."

Eat your heart out, Elias Sports Bureau.

---John Vogl

1:05: The snow is picking up but the wind has died down. The crowd roared as a countdown to NBC's sign-on was held. Bob Costas did his opening outside the network's booth standing on the stadium infield with Mike Milbury. Don Cherry, meanwhile, has yet to leave the CBC booth.

12:56: The warmup is over and the snow is really flying. Pens winger Georges Laraque just told CBC to expect a lot of dump and chase if the snow keeps up. No way to really control where your passes are going.

12:41: Accompanied by the Celtic Spirit Pipe Band, the teams enter the ice for warmups emerging from the tunnel to a huge roar. The Penguins bear left, wearing their white toques, and the Sabres go right to enter the ice. Some Sabres have helmets, some have hoods. Classic Sabres white jerseys. The best!

12:40 p.m.: Kid in a Sabres jersey is on the jumbotron with a sign that reads, "Look Mom, no roof."

12:38 p.m.: The snow is picking up again. Glad I DVR'd CBC. What a terrific video they did at the opening of their telecast highlighting Sabres history. They put it up in here on the jumbotron. In the house, Kevin Sylvester is interviewing Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale, who are resplendent in their Russian-style hats and parkas.

12:18 p.m.: The media bozo award goes to Chris Bradford of the Beaver County Times, who complained in his column today that the NHL should be playing the game in New York City. Spare me, pal. You want to be in New York City today, nothing's stopping you. Go move there.

12:05 p.m.: The snow has stopped and the skies are cloudy, making for just about perfect conditions. It's just a tad breezy but we should be good to go for an opening faceoff at around 1:20. Hasek's Heroes Kids in Sabres and Penguins jerseys are on the mini rink playing shinny near the tunnel end -- using boots for nets -- and the television cameras are all over them.

CBC's pregame show starts at 12:30 and Elliotte Friedman did a terrific piece on the Aud, complete with a locker room tour from Rene Robert. I've got it DVRd to see that -- and to catch Don Cherry and Ron MacLean. Seriously now, Costas or Cherry? No contest.

---Mike Harrington

The snow is still falling gently and the first fans are coming into the seating bowl, with Sabres and Penguins jersey both represented. The early birds got a treat with the end of Ronan Tynan's rehearsal of "God Bless America" from the stage set up on the corner of the field at the scoreboard end. At the tunnel end are booths for CBC and NBC.

NHL officials are skating on the ice testing it out and the zamboni making more passes. A couple Pittsburgh reporters just told me some Penguins were complaining about a hole that developed just inside the blue line at the tunnel end of the ice near the end of yesterday's practice. Worth watching to see if the ice starts to break down at all in the third period.

---Mike Harrington

Good morning and Happy 2008 from the Ice Bowl!

The cover of the game program for the NHL Winter Classic has some Penguin and Sabre figurines playing hockey in a snow globe and it's a perfect picture because that's what we have this morning in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The snow is gently falling with a light breeze and it's the kind of postcard scene that NBC and CBC were probably dreaming of. The zamboni is on the ice and there will be no problems if the weather stays like this. The tailgate parties are in full swing. You're expecting the Bills to come bursting out of the tunnel.

If you're coming down, take a look atop the upper decks. The NFL flags have been replaced by large flags for each NHL team. The Western Conference clubs are on the press box side while the Eastern Conference are on the visitors' side of the field. Nice touch.

---Mike Harrington

That's the famous quote from late Penguins coach Bob Johnson, who led the team to its first Stanley Cup in 1991 but succumbed to brain cancer five months later. And a placard with those words is the last thing Pittsburgh players see on the wall as they exit the dressing room in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Those words fit what we saw at the Ralph on Monday and here's hoping the weather holds out so we'll say it again Tuesday for the Winter Classic. There was nothing mundane about the teams' practices Monday. Sure, this is a pretty gimmicky affair but players on both sides loved their throwback jerseys and all you saw were smiles in both dressing rooms afterward.

"It's so cool to be out here to be in such a big stadium," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "I can only imagine what it's going to be like tomorrow."

"I didn't know what to expect," said Thomas Vanek. "I saw the pictures of the stadium a few weeks ago and it looked cool. But being in the middle of it and looking up, it's a lot cooler than I saw in the pictures."

The Penguins took the ice 10 minutes early, about 2:50. They stayed out for 90 minutes when they were only scheduled for 60. Star Sidney Crosby was one of the last ones off the ice.

"It's a beautiful day. It's perfect weather," Crosby said. "It's not like it's too cold to stay out. So it's something I think we're all enjoying."

The Sabres were going through the normal practice routine -- complete with an itinerary taped to the glass -- but the setting was so unique that Ruff scrapped the plan.

"I looked at our practice sheet and I said, "We've got to get rid of the last couple drills and let them scrimmage,' " Ruff said. "Let them get back to playing a little pond hockey for 10 minutes, let them enjoy it and don't worry about the structure of the practice. If somebody gives the puck away, let's just let them play. It felt like the right thing to do."

---Mike Harrington

(Photo: A bundled Thomas Vanek, left, and Andrew Peters share a laugh at practice/Associated Press)

As usual, Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller was as confident as could be today during the Winter Classic news conferences. The Sabres lost to the Penguins, 2-0, Saturday, and Miller can't wait for the rematch.

He hopes it turns into a wide-open affair, even though Pittsburgh has the world's best player in Sidney Crosby.

"That would favor us becuase Lindy [Ruff] has been all over the guys to stay tight on defense," Miller said. "If they want to run-and-gun, I think we've got the team for it."

---John Vogl

The Sabres' practice in Ralph Wilson Stadium is under way and it was quite a sight to see the players and staff bundled up in the cold and flurries. Thomas Vanek appeared to be the most bundled of all (isn't he an Austrian who played college in Minnesota?). The Sabres took the ice in their throwback jerseys to get acclimated to the rink and take an official team picture around the Winter Classic logo. Then the players changed into their practice sweaters.

The throwbacks, however, gave away one of Lindy Ruff's big secrets of the day -- Jaroslav Spacek has been named the team's January captain, replacing defense partner Brian Campbell. Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville have been named assistants.

Spacek has been one of the team's biggest surprises this season and has stepped into a major role after being buried during last year's playoffs. Now he's going to be the Buffalo captain for the most-attended game in NHL history.

Good call by Ruff?

---Mike Harrington

As part of Tuesday's must-read preview section commemorating the Winter Classic -- there's your promo -- we'll have a look back at previous outdoor games in North America and overseas. The most recent came in January, when a European record crowd of 30,076 saw the 100th meeting of two rivals in Bern, Switzerland. SC Bern, coached by former Sabres defenseman John Van Boxmeer, beat SC Langnau, 5-2, in the city's soccer stadium.

Check out some of the video from the scene at this one. No snow, so not an Ice Bowl. But you get the idea what a rink looked like in the middle of a large field there. Note the long walk from the dressing rooms to the ice. The Sabres and Penguins will endure a similar trek before and after each period Tuesday in the Ralph.

---Mike Harrington

The Winter Classic is going to be played just like every other NHL game, the league said.

Apparently, they had their fingers crossed.

Tuesday's "normal" game will have four periods. That's right. Four. If that's just like every other game, I must have been covering the wrong league the last five seasons and watching the wrong one for three decades.

Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly cleared up any misconceptions about the teams switching sides at the midway point of the third period. It won't be after a regular whistle near the 10-minute mark, like some (including me) figured. The horn will sound at exactly 10:00.

Sidney Crosby has a breakaway? Too bad. The Sabres are firing away and about to pop home a rebound? Tough luck.

I understand, and am all for, the league making the game fair. No team should have to skate into the wind for two periods, so splitting one of them is a good idea. But split it near the 10-minute mark. There are enough whistles. Change ends with 10:22 left or 9:51. It's close enough.

To rob the game of its mid-period flow is stupid. And for anyone thinking, "Well, what's the odds of something happening near the 10-minute mark anyway?" Surprisingly, the odds are really good. I checked four days worth of games from last week, Wednesday to Saturday, and there were seven goals scored between 9:55 and 10:13. And that's just four days! Those seven goals wouldn't have happened if the offense was halted by a horn.

I remember playing Mite hockey and each line would get exactly two minutes. That's good for 6-year-olds to keep it fair. But it's pretty bad for the NHL to mimic Mite hockey.

---John Vogl

The preliminary bout between the Sabres and Penguins is over. Now it's off to the main event.

The hype is there, but will the game match it? People will be talking about the spectacle of Tuesday's Winter Classic for years. The game itself could lapse into oblivion within minutes. I asked Ty Conklin how the actual game was when he played in the Heritage Classic in Edmonton, and he said, "It was a fun event."

What can happen to make the game worthwhile? And what players will rise to stand on the grand stage? The guess here is Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby answers the call and shows he's the best player in the world, while Thomas Vanek scores twice and is Buffalo's best player.

I just hope there are more scoring chances for both teams than what we saw Saturday.

---John Vogl

PITTSBURGH -- It was almost like Christmas came for the second time this week. The Penguins walked into their dressing room today after a Kids Day practice, and the Winter Classic jersey had arrived.

The Sabres and Penguins are going old-school with the outdoor game, but Pittsburgh is going further back. The blue jersey the Penguins rolled out today hasn't been worn since 1972, and the team hasn't worn anything other than black and gold since 1980. Sidney Crosby's sweater was on display for the media and players to see, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

"It's pretty exciting with the new jerseys and stuff," forward Colby Armstrong said. "Pretty cool. It's the first time I've actually seen it other than the Internet."

Fans thought so, too. There were more than 3,000 in attendance as the Penguins opened their skate to the public, and the team store did brisk business. It didn't take long for the blue T-shirts and jerseys to filter into the usual black and gold scheme.

Store personnel said the purchasing public is excited for the New Year's Day event, but because of the ticket scarcity that's well-known to Buffalo fans, most fans in Pittsburgh will be watching the game on television.

---John Vogl

Hockey is no different than most sports. Everyone has that one-game-at-a-time mentality. If you dare to ask about a game in the future, prepare for daggers to be shot your way.

But things have been different around the Sabres the last few days. The players are getting peppered with questions about Tuesday's outdoor game in the Ralph. At practice, after the morning skate, even after Wednesday's game against Ottawa. More and more out-of-town reporters have come to Buffalo. There will certainly be plenty of chatter about it tonight in New Jersey and things will really heat up Saturday in Pittsburgh.

It makes for an odd distraction that even coach Lindy Ruff addressed Thursday.

"From my end, it's just been focus on the game we're going to play," Ruff said. "In between games, you have to deal with some issues, travel plans, how you get players there and wives there, what time, are they going to get lost on the way, not lost?

"But it's not that big of a deal. I'm looking forward to it. If you have decent weather, it's going to be a great event. To answer questions between games, I'm OK with that. When it's game day, we focus on one thing."

---Mike Harrington

Buffalonews.com has a video posted showing today's preparations at The Ralph for the Winter Classic next Tuesday.

See it by clicking here.

---Steve Jones, Sports Editor

It didn't take long for the NHL to learn how difficult the Winter Classic is going to be to pull off. Minutes after exiting the New York Giants locker room, I saw construction had already begun for the rink in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Good thing I have compassion, because if I didn't I'd be laughing hysterically. There are about 50 people trying to get a 200-foot tarp in the shape of the rink down on the ground. It's not going well. The wind is forcing people to trip and fall. The tarp is blowing all over. They started trying to place it near the middle of the field. Then they turned it so it was covering the width of the field, from sideline to sideline. Now they're in the end zone.

And just think, they have to do this for 24 hours a day for the next seven to 10 days. All I can say is, Good luck. If this event is pulled off, it'll be a minor miracle. Actually, if the weather keeps up, it'll be a major miracle.

---John Vogl

Hockey at Ralph Wilson Stadium got an early start. The replay of Saturday night's thriller was on the press box televisions prior to the Bills-Giants game, and about a dozen people crowded around to watch the final minute and the Sabres' tying goal.

It should be quite a sight in this stadium on New Year's. Well, if the weather isn't like today, anyway. Nothing says hockey like rain, wind and 50-degree temps! The 10-day forecast is out, and although it's hard enough to predict how it will be in an hour let alone 10 days from now, Jan. 1 looks perfect -- cloudy and 29. But the days leading up to it, important from the rink-making stanpoint, could be trouble -- three days of rain and high 30s, low 40s.

I'm trying to look at the football players warming up and judge whether fans will be able to tell who's who in a hockey uniform. I imagine, but plenty of people will have trouble seeing the puck.

Still, being here has finally gotten me excited for the game. If it's anything like the two against Philadelphia -- fun, fun hockey to watch -- it should be a day for the ages.

---John Vogl

It's just over two weeks away from the Winter-Classic-don't-call-it-the-Ice-Bowl between the Sabres and Penguins in Ralph Wilson Stadium and you can tell the Sabres are getting more interested in talk about the outdoor game. The snowy video of the Bills' game in Cleveland Sunday had many players laughing at practice Monday about the chance their contest might be played under those conditions.

Cracked coach Lindy Ruff: "I've been walking around outside a lot trying to get used to the weather."

The NHL held a media conference call Monday afternoon with Sabres goatender Ryan Miller and Pittsburgh forward Adam Hall, who were Michigan State teammates for the 2001 outdoor game at MSU's Spartan Stadium that drew a world record crowd of more than 74,000.

And later in the afternoon, NBC announced it's bringing heavy hitter Bob Costas on board to host its coverage. Costas is on stranger to hockey as he served as the play-by-play commentator for the Syracuse Blazers of the old Eastern Hockey League in 1973-74 and also occasionally filled in for the late Dan Kelly on KMOX's St. Louis Blues radiocasts in the last 70s and early 80s.

Costas is expected to be the pregame and intermission host, with Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk expected to call the game action.

Click here to get a look at NBC's Winter Classic commercial. Probably like the game will be: Heavy on all Sidney Crosby all the time.

---Mike Harrington