Due to the snowy conditions, the game was at the time colloquially referred to as the "Ice Bowl" by residents of the area and Sabres' fans.

The game, which was played at a temporary ice rink built on the football field, set an NHL attendance record of 71,217.

[4][5] The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team played a pre-game at the HSBC Arena as part of the house party festivities.

The success of the event has led to subsequent outdoor hockey games being scheduled and helped establish the Winter Classic as an annual NHL tradition.

Construction of the outdoor rink began on December 24, the day after the Buffalo Bills played their last home game of the 2007 NFL season.

On top of the newly created flat surface, three inches (75 mm) of plywood with plastic covering were laid as a base for the necessary piping.

NBC had an airplane flying overhead to provide bird's-eye views of the rink, including a live webstream from its camera throughout the game.

Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson called the game in the broadcast booth for CBC, with Greg Millen between-the-benches.

Doug Allen sang the Canadian national anthem (O Canada) and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan performed "God Bless America" before the game.

The NHL also announced that several rule changes were in effect for this game, to nullify advantages to either team due to the weather conditions.

[28] Weather for the game was appropriate to the winter setting it was intended to evoke, with game-time temperatures around the freezing mark and snow falling for much of the time, especially during the third period.

Each goalie allowed one goal in playing time not including the shootout, giving Conklin 36 saves for the Penguins, and Miller 24 for the Sabres.