The first NHL Winter Classic was played on January 1, 2008 in Buffalo’s (actually Orchard Park, NY) then-Ralph Wilson Stadium between the host Buffalo Sabres and visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
There were a couple of unsurprising occurrences in this game.
- First, that any outdoor event in January in greater Buffalo would feature snow falling.
- Second, that a marquee hockey game would – especially during this era – would feature a highlight reel play from Penguins’ superstar Sidney Crosby, who was then just a 20-year-old kid.
Crosby assisted on the Penguins’ lone regulation goal (by Colby Armstrong in the game’s opening minute) and then played hero by scoring on Pittsburgh’s third shootout attempt against Buffalo netminder, Ryan Miller, feathering the puck between Miller’s legs to send the Penguins’ to a 2-1 victory.
Since that snowy day in Buffalo, the Winter Classic has been played on or around New Year’s Day every year but 2014 (NHL labor dispute) and 2021 (COVID-19).
This year’s game took to South Beach and loanDepot Park (home of the Miami Marlins) in Miami on January 2 between the host Florida Panthers and visiting New York Rangers.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
At least my answer was somewhat correct.
Indeed!