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From Monsters and Critics.com National Hockey League New York, NY - The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres will ring in 2008 by playing an outdoor contest on January 1 in the NHL Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. The NHL Winter Classic will be the league's first ever regular season outdoor game to be played in the United States. 'Many of our players have great memories of playing outdoors when they were growing up,' said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. 'This game provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase our great players, honor hockey's heritage and ring in the New Year with the best fans in sports.' The game will air nationally on NBC from the home stadium of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, where capacity exceeds 73,000. The attendance for the event is likely to break the NHL single-game mark, set on November 23, 2003 when the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers brought in 57,167 fans at The Heritage Classic, which was played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. © 2007 The Sports Network
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