ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Rarely does the National Hockey League get more than it bargains for, but yesterday, before a record crowd of 71,217, it got far more snow than it wanted, along with a few too many broken patches of ice.
But that said, the second outdoor game in league history was a huge - make that H-U-G-E - and entertaining success, culminating with a Sidney Crosby shootout goal (yes, amid a gentle snow) that handed the Pittsburgh Penguins a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
In all, it took 3 hours and 7 minutes, roughly a half-hour longer than a typical regular-season game, and what it may have lacked in terms of flow and dazzling plays, it more than made up for in charming, Hallmark winter scenes and good ol' backyard-shinny perseverance.
"It may not have been the best hockey game, because of the weather, because of the snow," noted Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who braved the day sans chapeau behind the bench, "but the atmosphere was incredible . . . and to hell with the cynics."
So there you go. File all those "yeah buts" in the pile of snowy Zamboni detritus that built up like some mini-Everest during the fun-filled after noon.
Truth is, Old Man Winter brought all the elements that can conspire against such an event - rain in the early morning, a steady wind upward of 20 miles an hour, and of course the snow . . . the snow . . . the snow.
Game-time temperature was 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and by the third period, according to Ruff, the snow was freezing as it hit the surface, causing playing conditions to deteriorate even further. But they played on, keeping the attention of a chilled and enthusiastic crowd, and providing an avalanche of "good TV" for NBC (with Bostonian Mike Milbury aiding in commentary).
The event said just as much, if not more, about hockey fans, especially Western New York hockey fans, as it did about the league, the players, and the fine work of Dan Craig, the league's ice guru, who repaired more potholes in one afternoon than the City of Boston DPW does in a busy March.
The record crowd - some 15,000 more than the turnout for the Heritage Classic in Alberta in November 2003 - did not include the 11,500 fans watching from the downtown
"It was tough on both teams to create things offensively," said Pittsburgh goalie Ty Conklin, the former University of New Hampshire standout. "But really, I don't think you can call it anything but a huge success."
Crosby, quickly turning into the league's most marketable face (three-plus hours of Sid the Kid on NBC before a New Year's Day audience might have clinched it), potted the winner on what was truly a backyard mash play. He came straight down the slot on Ryan Miller, and when the goalie dropped to his knees and tried for a pokecheck, Crosby shoveled a doorstep forehander right between his pads. Five-hole. Good night, 71,000-plus.
"In an atmosphere like this," said Crosby, "I think anyone, even just the average fan watching, has to be interested in something like that. I think the game did a good job of bringing attention [to the sport]."
The Penguins opened the scoring only 21 seconds into the show when Colby Armstrong followed Crosby into the slot and shoveled home the go-ahead strike. The Sabres didn't pull even until 1:25 of the second, when Brian Campbell swept in a short-range wrister with help from Tim Connolly and Dan Paille.
In the shootout, Ales Kotalik led off and provided the Sabres a 1-0 lead, beating Conklin with a 10-foot wrister on the glove side. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh's second shooter, knotted it when he beat Miller with a doorstep backhander at the left post. Maxim Afinogenov then followed for the Sabres, failing with a backhander, and that set the stage for Crosby.
Snow falling. Everyone in the jammed football stadium standing. And right down the toboggan run came Crosby.
"I lost the puck," said Miller, who played all day with a knit cap atop his helmeted head. "I was going for a tip check on him and he was trying to get around me. But that's the conditions everyone had to play with."
Fans began arriving in the Ralph parking lots at 8 a.m., some 5 1/2 hours prior to the opening faceoff. They brought footballs, of course, because this is Bills country. And they brought all manner of hockey nets, turning the many surrounding lots into street hockey sheets. The constant sound of "Game On" filled the hockey 'hood.
When the two sides emerged for warmups, they were led out by a troupe playing bagpipes and drums. When game time arrived, large flaming cannons shot upright near the tunnel. On top of the stadium, flags of all 30 NHL teams streamed in the unrelenting wind.
Had it not snowed as much - remember, file the cynicism - the play undoubtedly would have been more wide-open and up and down. Even in the trap-happy NHL, these are two teams that like to skate, and often dare to trade chances (yes, permissible within the rules). But if you dare to drop a sheet in the great outdoors, in an area of the country that holds the patent on lake-effect snow, you must proceed with caution. And let's not forget, just about everyone who tuned in wanted it to snow.
More troubling, however, was the handful of small but nasty potholes that constantly demanded the attention of Craig and his crew. Those "breaks" added about 15 minutes to the day. Craig also ordered the Zamboni crew to make dry scrapes midway through each of the three periods, and then again before the start of four-on-four overtime. Regulation time ended at 4:10 p.m., and the five-minute OT didn't end until 4:27.
"I'd love to do it again," said Ruff. "I thought it was . . . I thought it was awesome."
No doubt, the league will do it again. A Montreal-Toronto matchup, be it held in Quebec or Ontario, would fill as many seats as could be provided. Ditto for an Edmonton-Calgary Battle of Alberta. The Bruins and Rangers could make for an interesting date, especially if the Bruins can build back some relevance in the New England market.
If the NBC ratings are strong, look for the next Ice Bowl to happen sooner rather than later. Momentum is something the NHL can't afford to let disappear . . . like so many snowflakes in the wind.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com
