Waiting on winter in Buffalo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – What if they held the Winter Classic and winter forgot to show up?
Sunday was another downright balmy day in suburban Buffalo, the temperature hovering just above freezing during most of the daylight hours.
Sure, things can change quickly before Tuesday's 1 p.m. ET faceoff between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, but check out this scene 48 hours in advance of the first regular-season NHL game held outdoors in the United States. Truck loads of snow were being transported into Ralph Wilson Stadium and not out of the usually white-capped surface where the NFL's Buffalo Bills play football.
"Temperatures, from all indications, are not going to be a problem for good ice conditions," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "There is a possibility for some snow. That doesn't necessarily cause a problem. But if the snow is coming down hard enough, we have to make sure visibility is good enough to allow for safe playing conditions."
Light snow was in the forecast Sunday night. A gentle dusting shouldn't cause any major problems to the ice surface, which saw a Zamboni for the first time on Sunday. The frozen surface sits on plywood smack dab in the middle of the football field. The only thing missing was advertising on the dasher boards. Both the Penguins and Sabres are scheduled to practice here Monday. That will tell the league's ice guru, Dan Craig, what, if any, adjustments need to be made in time for Tuesday's contest.
Craig was the first to take a spin on the gleaming, freshly painted surface on Sunday. So far, so good, he said.
"It had a good feel to it, a good base to it," Craig said. "And it was more for me to get a feel for the atmosphere itself as for the ice."
This is where it gets tricky for the league. The last thing the NHL wants, with national telecasts of the event going to both Canada and the U.S., is enough adverse weather that, at best, the game is delayed or, at worst, forces postponement until Wednesday.
It won't take long for the league's longtime critics to add that kind of embarrassment to the list. The NHL is hoping all goes off without a hitch Tuesday because it could use a break in terms of positive national publicity.
"That would be nice, certainly," Daly said. "Whenever you undertake an initiative like this, you do knowing there are variables you cannot control.
"The less temporary stoppages and the less delay we face, the better," he added. "I think people are excited for the game and the event, and that's good for hockey."
Commissioner Gary Bettman will have final say if there's a question about the playing conditions, but everyone from new NHL players' association head Paul Kelly to Craig to the weatherman will have input before and during the contest.
There was no wind and no sun Sunday, but the two teams have agreed on a rule you never would see employed indoors to better ensure one team doesn't gain an unfair advantage over the other.
Exactly midway through the third period, a hard whistle will sound – regardless of where the puck is in play – and the teams will switch ends. If there's overtime, that will happen again at the 2:30 mark of sudden death. And if there's a shootout, each goaltender will be given the option of which goal to defend. So it's possible both teams could shoot on the same goal if, for instance, looking to the sun or battling a strong wind was something a goalie didn't want to face.
"If they both came to us before the game and suggest we waive that, it's something we could probably consider," Daly said. "But I think everyone is very comfortable with the game format as we've laid it out."
It will be interesting to see the fallout from the event, which is expected to draw approximately 73,000 in the stadium, and another 5,000 to 10,000 who can watch it on the video screen inside the warmer environs of HSBC Arena in downtown Buffalo.
"I'd say, in a lot of respects, this has already been a very successful event for the league," Daly said. "The fan response has been tremendous. The Winter Classic is an example of the kind of approach we want to do more of as we go forward."
