In the NHL Winter Classic 2018, the Buffalo Sabres will meet the New York Rangers on New Year’s Day at the Citi Field in New York. SPOX provides you with everything you need to know about outdoor activities.
Exactly ten years after the first Winter Classic in Buffalo, the Sabres can once again look forward to a performance at the open-air spectacle. For the Rangers it will be the first Winter Classic.
The online sports streaming service DAZN shows selected NHL games in the live stream. On NHL. tv you can also purchase a Game Pass for a full year for $120 or a $20 monthly pass to see all out-of-the-market games.
In addition to DAZN, the pay-TV channel Sport1 US also broadcasts up to four live games per week and a total of 150 NHL games.
As the Winter Classics are usually played in baseball or football stadiums, the number of spectators at these games traditionally exceeds the NHL average. In 2014, for example, more than 105,000 fans came to Michigan Stadium to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in a thrilling game in the Penalty Shoot Out.
The Citi Field in New York, home of the MLB-Mets, has an official capacity of 41,922 spectators. With additional grandstands, however, considerably more people could experience the spectacle on site.
In the Buffalo Sabres, Evander Kane plays a strong season. The 26-year-old left-winger is a top-scorer of the Sabres, veteran Jason Pominville is right on his heels.
At the Rangers, Center Mia Zibanejad and right-wing striker Mats Zuccarello are the most frequent encounters. Thanks to Michael Grabner, Austrian ice hockey fans can look forward to a winter classic participation from the Alpine republic. The 30-year-old plays his ninth NHL season and worked for the city rival, the Islanders, from 2010 to 2015.
Russ Brandon (Sabres President):”After the first NHL Winter Classic 2008 took place at our home, it is an honour for us to have the opportunity to play in 2018, on our 10th anniversary. We look forward to participating in this festive event and promoting our hockey sport in such a setting.”
Gary Bettman (NHL Commissioner):”The first Winter Classic took place in Buffalo in 2008 with snowfall. Now we are looking forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary with pleasure. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of this event at the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2018 with the national duel between the Sabres and Rangers on Citi Field.”
Tickets for the game on 01. January 2018 can be purchased on the NHL homepage. From 189 Dollars on, tickets are available, however, almost only for the highest rank.
In the current season there are 31 teams in the NHL, which will be divided into two conferences. Defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, for example, plays in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. Click here for an overview of the divisions!