The Buffalo Bills’ 2007 home sked may be complete, but activity inside their home base, Ralph Wilson Stadium, certainly isn’t. Crews are converting “The Ralph” into a hockey rink for the Winter Classic outdoor NHL hockey game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins on January 1, 2008 at 1 p.m. It will be the first-ever NHL game played outside in the United States and the second NHL outdoor game ever.

The temporary rink, with boards in place, was built above the field, sitting atop an intricate series of plastic pipes — or ice mats, as they’re called — that run across the width of the ice sheet. Sand was then poured onto the pipes to hold them in place and to create a level surface. The combination of running coolant through the pipes and pouring water on the sand created a frozen concrete-like mixture that provides an ideal base for making ice. Crews will now spend the night spraying the surface to build an inch-thick sheet, which will then be ready to be painted. By tomorrow afternoon, the entire surface will be painted white and the center-ice logo will be in-place. The red and blue lines, face-off circles and goal-crease areas will also be painted in. Once that’s completed, another half-inch of ice will be built to meet NHL standards, and crews will use Zambonis to keep the sheet smooth and level in preparation for Monday, when both teams are scheduled to practice outdoors.

This whole process actually began immediately after the Bills/Giants game last Sunday. I had just gotten back to the press box from the Bills’ locker room (listen to my interview with safety Donte Whitner) and saw about 50 people trying to put a tarp down on the field. The wind was blowing so hard they could barely control the thing. It’s an interesting process. I wish I could’ve been around to watch the whole rink being built.

Some 42,000 tickets were made available to fans and purchased within a half-hour after they went on sale back in September. The remaining 30,000 tickets were set aside for season-ticket holders and the NHL. Those have also been sold. The game is being sponsored by Amp Energy.

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Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Buffalo Bills’ Ralph Wilson Stadium Being Converted Into Hockey Rink for Winter Classic