Behind the scenes: 1st-ever outdoor World Junior Championship game goes off without a hitch

By Aaron Cheris

Posted 12/29/17

Buffalo has become a town of modern outdoor hockey firsts. In 2008, the city hosted the first ever NHL Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

And a decade later, the city is back in the spotlight of the hockey world as it hosted the first ever outdoor IIHF World Junior Championship game on Friday. The preliminary round game saw the United States defeat Canada 4-3 in a shootout in front of 45,692 fans at New Era Field.

 

“That was one of the coolest games I’ve ever been a part of,” American goaltender Jake Oettinger said. “It reminded me of the Winter Classic between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. For it to go to a shootout was unbelievable.”

 

Turning a football stadium into a hockey rink was no small task, and the people responsible for bringing the historic game to Buffalo put in many hours of labor. But the end result is something that will never be forgotten.

 

“It’s a dream come true,” USA Hockey Assistant Executive Director Mike Bertsch said. “This is one of the most unique events I’ve been a part of.”

 

The dream first began as a thought about two years ago when USA Hockey and the Sabres decided to include an outdoor game as part of their bid to host the tournament. To their delight, they were awarded the bid, and then the work began.

 

“The organizing committee got together and wanted to make our bid different,” Sabres Vice President of Arena Operations Stan Makowski said. “We thought we had a great asset here in New Era Field and we wanted to take advantage of it.”

 

“One of the things we broached with USA hockey is that we wanted to add an outdoor game as part of our bid,” Sabres Sr. Vice President Michael Gilbert said. “They were very open and receptive to it and we were able to pull it off.”

 

Just hours after the Buffalo Bills finished their home game on December 17, Makowski and his crew, along with Ice Rink Events, the company responsible for the rink construction, went to work.

 

First, they needed to install a level floor to account for the curvature of the New Era Field turf. From there, tubing and other cooling equipment, as well as the boards and glass, were installed to help transform the football field into a hockey rink.

 

An outdoor rink presented a unique set of challenges for the crew, but they were more than prepared to deal with all the obstacles they encountered.

 

“In an arena we can control the temperature and a lot of different things,” Makowski said. “

 

“When you look at the risk factors that are involved, certainly the weather is a major one,” Bertsch said. “We took a lot of consideration into that and looked at the history for the weather.”

 

Being in Buffalo, keeping the ice cold did not present a problem, but the other hurdle to clear was making the ice playable for a rematch of last year’s gold medal game.

 

“We’re subject to the whims of mother nature,” Makowski said. “It’s actually been colder than we would like it.”

 

But the crew persisted on a tight deadline, making sure everything was set to go so fans could watch the two North American squads go outside for the first time in tournament history. The attendance number set a World Junior Championship record.

 

“I hope the fans remember having fun and taking advantage of a great atmosphere and taking advantage of winter,” Makowski said.

 

“They’re going to remember two great countries battling outdoors in the elements in a tremendous hockey game and having fun at it,” Bertsch said.

 

In similar fashion to the 2008 NHL Winter Classic, the game went to a shootout, with the Americans earning the win. The experience itself will be remembered for more than just the final score.

 

“That was something to remember,” said Team USA forward Keifer Bellows. “I cannot thank enough everyone that helped out with the ice enough. They did a fantastic job and a lot of credit goes to them.”

 

With the record-setting crowd and a perfect environment, complete with snow falling for most of the game, everyone is taking notice of the unique experience as the game of hockey as a whole continues to grow.  

 

“I think this captures your imagination a little bit. The whole scene here, a big stadium, a lot of fans, it’s a social experience,” NHL Deputy Commisioner Bill Daly said. “It’s a different type of hockey experience, and it looks like the players are having fun. All of that creates a certain appeal for our game.”

 

“It’s amazing. As a kind you always dream about coming to the World Juniors, but to have a Winter Classic involved too, it was huge,” said Canadian forward Boris Katchouk. “I felt like a kid again.”