COUNTDOWN TO THE 2018 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC®
VERSUS 
NHL Celebrates a Decade of NHL Winter Classic Games with an Empire State Showdown between the NY Rangers and Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Day
BY: The NHL
NEW YORK (Dec. 1, 2017) – With just one month until the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, the countdown to the much-anticipated Empire State matchup between the Buffalo Sabres® and New York Rangers® on Monday, Jan. 1 at Citi Field in New York City has begun. The event will be broadcast live nationally on NBC in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada at 1 p.m. ET.
The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® continues the tradition the League established in 2008 by hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year. This year’s edition will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic® and highlight top talent in the League from both teams. The Sabres top scorers from this season include forwards Evander Kane, Jack Eichel, and Ryan O’Reilly, as well as Jason Pominville who played in the inaugural NHL Winter Classic® in 2008. The Rangers counter with forwards Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello, defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh, and Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist.
Both the Sabres and Rangers will be making their second appearance in the NHL Winter Classic®. Buffalo hosted the first-ever NHL Winter Classic® against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 2-1 shootout loss in front of 71,217 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1, 2008. New York defeated the hometown Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park at the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® on Jan. 2, 2012, by a score of 3-2.
The intrastate rivals have faced off in 177 regular-season games since the 1970-71 season, with the Sabres holding a 196-172 edge in points over the Rangers (BUF 81-62-34—196; NYR 71-76-30—172). In addition, the Sabres and Rangers have met twice in the Stanley Cup® Playoffs, with Buffalo winning both best-of-seven series, including their most recent matchup in the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
New York Rangers Practice Outdoors at Lasker Rink in Central Park
The New York Rangers will bring their team practice to iconic Central Park at Lasker Rink on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 12 p.m. ET. The Rangers invite fans to attend the open-practice and witness as the team practices with the New York City skyline as a backdrop. Select players from the Rangers will also conduct a youth clinic with children from local organization Ice Hockey in Harlem prior to practice from 10-11:15 a.m. at Lasker Rink.
Four-Episode Docuseries to Chronicle Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers Road to the Outdoor Game
The critically-acclaimed Road To The NHL Winter Classic presented by Honda behind-the-scenes series will return to take viewers inside the dressing rooms and homes of the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers as they prepare to meet outdoors in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. Produced by 53-time Emmy® award winner Ross Greenburg in partnership with NHL Original Productions, the four-week, 30-minute limited series will premiere on Wednesday, Dec. 13 in the U.S. on NBCSN at 11:30 p.m. ET immediately following the Boston Bruins-Detroit Red Wings game on Wednesday Night Rivalry, and on Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. ET in Canada on Sportsnet before the Pittsburgh Penguins-Vegas Golden Knights game telecast. In addition to its airing on NBCSN, Sportsnet and NHL Network™, U.S. hockey fans will be able to stream each episode of Road To the NHL Winter Classic presented by Honda on NHL.com, NBCSports.com and NBC Sports and Sportsnet apps.
The NHL Ice Plant Makes a Pit Stop in Buffalo
The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® Ice Plant– the custom-built 53-foot, 300-ton capacity truck that houses the world’s largest mobile rink refrigeration unit and will be used to make the ice sheet for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® – will make a stop in Buffalo at KeyBank Center on Friday, Dec. 15 from approximately 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. prior to their home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Members of the media who would like to attend should RSVP to Chris Bandura at chris.bandura@sabres.com.
The Rink Build at Citi Field
The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® Ice Plant will continue its trek to New York City and arrive at Citi Field on Monday, Dec. 18. After the installation of field protection, 243 ice pans and a ring of dasher boards to enclose the rink, workers will create a nearly two-inch think ice surface at Citi Field. Fans will be able to follow the entire rink-build process through interactive features and extensive coverage on NHL Social™, NHL.com, and NHL network™.
2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Legacy Event
The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® Legacy Initiative will unveil a refurbishment and installation of a computer lab, studio, and library at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) Teen Leadership Center in the Bronx in partnership with the New York Rangers, Garden of Dreams Foundation and Smilezone Foundation. An official unveiling will take place Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Local Students Visit Citi Field for Ice Making 101 Field Trip
Thirty local middle school students will take part in a Field Trip to Citi Field on December 21, 2017, to see STEM in action. All students in attendance have participated in Future Goals™ Hockey Scholar program, an online learning course that enables them to explore real-life applications of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math concepts. NYC Schools place a strong emphasis on STEM and providing students with the opportunity to be immersed in hands-on, real-world experiences that ignite and deepen their passion for STEM. This visit to Citi Field will allow them to go behind the scenes and see how these how these concepts are applied in the making of our outdoor hockey rink.
NHL Centennial Fan Arena & Stanley Cup® at Madison Square Park
The NHL® Centennial Fan Arena – a main pillar of the League’s year-long centennial celebration that honors a century’s worth of extraordinary players, teams, and unforgettable moments – will visit Madison Square Park, located in the Flatiron District of New York City. Free to fans of all ages, the interactive traveling experience will be open on Wednesday, Dec. 27 and Thursday, Dec. 28 from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET. Fans can get their photo taken with the Stanley Cup®, which will make a special appearance on both days from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET. For more information, including Alumni appearances, visit NHL.com/FanArena.
Team Practices at Citi Field
The Sabres and Rangers will take the ice for the first time at Citi Field for team practices on Sunday, Dec. 31. NHL Social™, NHL Network™, and NHL.com will provide full coverage of the team skates throughout the day.
NHL Invites Fans to Visit The PreGame at the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®
With support from NHL partners, The PreGame at the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® is a free fan festival featuring interactive hockey-themed attractions, live deejay, prizes and giveaways, food and beverages, and a retail location with an extensive selection of officially-licensed 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® merchandise and collectibles for fans of all ages. The PreGame will be held in Parking Lot F at Citi Field from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 1.
Fan Reminders
All persons and their possessions entering Citi Field during the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® Game are subject to inspection and security screening. Guests may carry in items including backpacks, purses, diaper bags, and fanny packs that do not exceed a maximum size of 16” x 16” x 8”. Bags that exceed this size are not permitted in Citi Field. Guests may not exit and re-enter Citi Field using the same ticket.
Tickets to the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® are still available at Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing partner of the NHL®. Fans can purchase tickets safely and securely on Ticketmaster and the NHL Ticket Exchange™, with the peace of mind in knowing that the specific seats they buy are the seats they’ll get. Through the NHL Ticket Exchange, even tickets transferred or resold to new fans are 100% Ticketmaster verified and reissued in their name. This provides a level of security that no other marketplace can match.
Fans are encouraged to join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the official hashtag NHL #WinterClassic.
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