NHL Winter Classic 2008 Fact Sheet

Leading up to the Winter Classic there will be new stories and video on pittsburghpenguins.com. Check back every day for the latest content.
 

Dec 31st	Proving Paint and Ice Can Mix
	Dave Loverock once claimed he never again would paint ice outdoors because the elements can be too unpredictable. More...
Dec 31st	Surviving the Winter Classic Made Easy
	There is no weather report remotely suggesting the arrival of a survival situation in the forecast for New Year’s Day in Orchard Park, N.Y., home of Ralph Wilson Stadium More...
Dec 30th	Signed, Sealed and Nearly Delivered
	The sun was shining. The wind was light. And the rain stayed away – at least long enough. With Mother Nature doing her part Friday, the temporary ice surface at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the venue for the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day More...
Dec 29th	Classic Ice Draws an A-OK From Craig
	Just before 1 p.m. Sunday, NHL Facilities Operations Manager Dan Craig took a personal look at his handiwork. Rather than from the driver’s seat on a Zamboni or by standing along the boards, he did exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres will do New Year’s Day at the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic More...
Dec 28th	On-site Weather Station Keeps WC Informed
	Matt Becker has set up a weather station in the Italian Alps. He spent a year working at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, once setting up a weather station in the Rio Grande to measure ground water pollution. More...
Dec 27th	HSBC Ice Crew Doing Double Duty
	If NHL Facilities Operations Manager Dan Craig is the hardest working man in hockey this week, then Brian Drabek and his staff aren’t far behind. More...
Dec 26th	Craig Proves Again He is Master of Ice
	Ralph Wilson Stadium Dan Craig also once created a rink on top of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Needless to say, he has this rink-building thing down to -- pardon the pun -- a science. And you don't need to remind him how much his ice m... ...more
Dec 23rd	Pond Hockey Tournaments Thriving
	What's the big deal about the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic game between the host Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins being played outdoors? More...
Dec 21st	'Pond of Dreams' Warmed Hockey Hearts
	It was seven years ago that "Pond of Dreams," the Emmy-nominated short hockey film, was shown before the 2000 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. Viewers of the national television broadcast and fans in the Air Canada Centre watched as young NHL stars More...
Dec 20th	Outdoor Hockey In Anderson's Heart
	Glenn Anderson played in a "MegaStars Game" during the Heritage Classic, which consisted of two 15-minute periods. The National Hockey League is going back to its roots, in a sense, on New Year's Day. More...
Dec 18th	Winter Classic takes announcers back
	Bob Costas will host NBC's broadcast coverage of the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the host Buffalo Sabres at 1 p.m. ET on New Year's Day from Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. The veteran sportscaster is looking forward to getting back to his "roots." More...
Dec 17th	Pens Pair Excited About Outdoor Game
	Brooks Orpik said he doesn’t plan on preparing for the Penguins’ Jan. 1 game against the Buffalo Sabres any differently than he would any of the other 81 games on his team’s schedule. More...
Dec 16th	Bowman Recalls Game in Red Square
	Billy Smith was wondering why everybody lied to him. Unlike everything Smith had heard, his first trip to Russia was not only memorable for the hockey he played on a makeshift rink in the Red Square; but also for the spectacular More...
Dec 15th	Kane Says Buffalo is Ready for Spotlight
	Patrick Kane is proud to call Buffalo his home. His family and friends are there, and whenever his hockey seasons have ended, he wastes little time getting back there. More...
Dec 14th	Ralph Wilson Stadium a Perfect Host
	Ralph Wilson Stadium has seen its share of Hall of Famers play on its turf during the past 35 seasons of National Football League play. Included in that group are the likes of Jim Kelly, More...
Dec 13th	Laraque Remembers Playing Outdoors
	Here at NHL.com we should have known better than ask Georges Laraque what it was like to play in the famous outdoor game, the Heritage Classic, in Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003, when the temperature was -20F (or -29C). More...
Dec 10th	Fond Memories of 'The Cold War'
	The person behind the “Cold War” tagline used to sell the outdoor game between Michigan State and Michigan back in 2001 was a marketing genius, at least in the humble opinion of then-Wolverine defenseman Mike Komisarek. More...
Dec 7th	Equipment a Challenge at Heritage Classic
	The signature image from the Heritage Classic -- Montreal goalie Jose Theodore standing in his crease with a Canadiens toque perched atop his goalie helmet -- was, believe it or not, pure improvisation. More...
Dec 6th	Video of Legends
	Video of legends – Coffey, Shutt, Langway, McDonald, Gillies – talking about playing outside during their youth. Watch Videos
Dec 5th	Gagner had his own rink of dreams
	The roots of Sam Gagner’s extensive success in the most-famous rinks North America – and, to a certain extent, the world – can be found, in part, on a small, outdoor rink that graced the Gagner backyard throughout his childhood. More...
Dec 4th	Warm Memories of Cold Heritage Classic
	Four years! It can’t be that long ago, can it?It’s hard to believe, but true. It’s been more than four years since the last NHL outdoor game. It still seems like the Heritage Classic was yesterday in Edmonton. The game, played on Nov. 22, 2003 More...