First - Happy New Year!
Second - Buffalo hockey fans rock my socks!
January 1, 2008 is a day that I will remember for many reasons, but most worth chatting about are the sights, sounds and experiences from the 2008 Winter Classic.
My excitement for this day began back in September when the event was officially announced.
My anticipation began on Sunday when the weather looked to pose a problem for my 9am flight to Buffalo on Tuesday morning. It wasn't until then that the thought crossed my mind that I might not be able to witness this event. Since that was not an option I put my positive vibes to use and prayed for some snow to make everything pretty, but not too much so that my flight a) could land and b) land on time!
On my way to the airport, I got a phone call from my Dad...
"Jul...I checked the weather and they're supposed to get 2-3 inches this morning...you better call the airline and make sure your flight..."
It was then that I cut him off and told him I didn't need his negative vibes because I was going to be at this game one way or another, wished him a Happy New Year and hung up...If he thought I was going to let a little snow stop me from getting to Buffalo he obviously forgot how determined his daughter can be!
Once I got to the airport, a smile spread across my face as I checked my gate and those two lovely words were beside it - ON TIME!
At the gate, there were several people in their Sabres gear and a few Pens fans to mix things up.
There was one guy who simply could not stop smiling. He also couldn't stop fidgiting. He'd rock in his seat, get up and pace around, look out the window to the plane, sit back in his seat again, talk to his wife, pace around some more...Dude was a mess!
I finally asked him if he was excited about the game...
"Excited?! I can't even sit still!! (Yeah...I noticed!) My wife bought tickets and arranged this whole trip as my Christmas present and I'm nervous about the weather screwing it all up!"
You and me both!
I told him all about the positive vibes and we had a little Winter Classic Pow-Wow with all the other hockey fans on the flight.
After we got on the plane, the flight attendant came on and said that due to snow in Buffalo we might not have clearance to take off on time and even if we did take off might have to be diverted, etc. When she was done, I suggested that she tell whom ever she needed to tell that we all had a hockey game to go to and an on-time arrival in Buffalo would be much appreciated ;)
Well she obviously told the right person, because my flight landed 10 minutes early!
Driving to the stadium (kudos to my cabbie for knowing an alternate route and not getting stuck in traffic!), it was now my turn to smile continuously like an idiot! Seeing all the decorated cars and Sabres flags flying, just added to my anticipation to finally be at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Once we rounded the corner and I saw people flagging fans in to park on their lawns, having porch parties, I knew the Buffalo hockey fan was a special breed.
As I roamed through the tailgate parties, that belief was further solidified - The folks in Buffalo know how to put on a party!!
The Winter Classic was so much more than just a game - it was an event...one that everyone wanted to be at.
It didn't matter that it was cold, or windy, or snowing...Everyone was glad to be there.
During the talkcast, the question was raised about the male to female ratio and I estimated 60-40...now here comes my shoutout to the ladies who bleed Sabres blue...
You guys ROCK!!!!
There is no room in Buffalo for prissy ladies! Every female that I saw was 100% into being there. They had fake tatoos on thier cheeks. They were sporting Sabres gear. They were chanting and cheering. They knew their hockey and didn't care if they got their shoes dirty along the way. Way to be, ladies!! Way to be!!!
Once we got into the stadium and I had some hot chocolate to warm myself up, I took a moment to take it all in...the ice, the fans, the snow...it was quite a sight...The pictures are pretty, but they don't come close to the real thing.
Once the game got underway, I was again blown away by the Buffalo Faithful...From singing along at the top of their lungs to Sweet Caroline, to the Kiss-Cam that bordered the PG/PG-13 line, to the group of shirtless guys front row in Section 101 who banged the boards and cheered in unison, to the unprompted Let's Go Buff-A-Lo! chants, to the fact that seemingly no one left and most people watched the game on their feet, I was completely impressed.
I know Buffalo isn't officially "Hockeytown" but it sure looked like it to me!!
The game itself was secondary.
My favorite part was watching Paul Gaustad in the second period. There was one shift where he was just on a tear criss crossing the ice laying good hit after good hit - the man is a monster!!
Because of the conditions, it was clearly harder for the guys to skate and stickhandle, but it's not like one team had an advantage over the other and the league made sure of that by scraping the ice near the 10 minute mark of each period and even switching sides half way through the third.
Lindy Ruff looked styling in his retro "Varsity" jacket - found out today that both of his daughters wanted to wear it to school today, but neither got to because Dad didn't bring it home...they weren't very happy with him!
I'm not a big fan of cheerleaders in hockey - really...they just don't have a place - and sometimes I wonder about the mascots, but Sabretooth is one cool cat! He was cute and funny and totally into the game. I also think it's awesome that fans can buy a Sabretooth jersey where the number is replaced with a paw print.
Like I said this was more than just a hockey game, it was an event and with flashbulbs going off everywhere, especially during the shootout, you were reminded of that fact.
Even in the post-game press conference, the players and coaches felt it too and were happy to be a part of it.
"I took time to look around and I wanted to take in the whole experience and everybody seemed to be either standing up or dancing or swaying and chanting...It was a pretty cool experience because everbody was so into it and so dialed in to watching a hockey game," said Ryan Miller who brought his camera to the press conference to help commemorate the event. Knowing how much Ryan appreciates photography, I bet there was a part of him who wanted to be in the stands with the fans enjoying the experience and capturing it on film.
I recorded the game back at home, but I'm sure that viewing it on TV won't compare to the actual experience, but I'll have plenty of memories to tell my children and grandchildren about.
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