The first outdoor game in American Hockey League history is a go.

The two participating teams -- the host Syracuse Crunch and the visiting Binghamton Senators -- sent out letters to season ticket holders this week regarding the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, at the New York State Fairgrounds.

"It is with great excitement that we share with you news of our soon-to-be announced Outdoor Classic Game," Crunch President and CEO Howard Dolgan wrote in his letter to Syracuse fans, adding soon after: "A press conference officially announcing the game will be held on Tuesday, November 24."

Tickets go on sale at 6 p.m. Friday for B-Sens fans.

"The Binghamton Senators are proud to be taking part in this once-in-a-lifetime event with the Syracuse Crunch," B-Sens executive vice president of operations Tom Mitchell said Thursday in a press release. "We are thrilled that we are able to offer our dedicated fans the opportunity to purchase these tickets and join us for what is sure to be American Hockey League history in the making."

Tickets will be priced at $30 and $40, and they're set to go on sale to the general public after Tuesday's 3 p.m. press conference. Before then, though, the B-Sens -- like the Crunch -- are offering advance sales to their fans.

B-Sens fans can purchase tickets either by visiting the team's office on the third floor of the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, or by calling 722-7367. The office is open from 6 p.m. Friday until the end of that night's home game against Hershey, then from 10 a.m. Saturday until the end of that night's home game against Albany, and then again from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday.

Syracuse season ticket holders will each receive a $40 ticket as part of their season ticket package.

Plans for the outdoor game appeared to have fallen through in June, when the Onondaga County Legislature voted down a proposal to invest $350,000 into helping put on the event at Alliance Bank Stadium, home of Syracuse's Triple-A baseball team.

The legislature instead approved a measure to invest $75,000, leaving Crunch senior vice president Jim Sarosy to say at the time: "We're exploring other opportunities right now. ... We're not moving forward with the outdoor game."

Since then, though, The Post-Standard in Syracuse has reported that both Sen. Charles Schumer and Gov. David Paterson "have been instrumental in keeping the idea alive and finding funding for it."
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http://www.pressconnects.com/article...Syracuse+is+on

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I hope that some Canadian Network pick this one up so that I may see it and compare to the NHL's version.

I'm thinking about going...will definitely look into this.

SYRACUSE -- Needing to get away from it all this September, Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon took his wife golfing downstate in Oceanside.

At the time, Dolgon's plans to put on an outdoor hockey game were on hold. But after wrapping up his round of golf, he returned to his locker and picked up his phone to find missed calls and e-mails from the office of Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.

He dialed the number on the drive back to his Long Island home.

"Howard, we're doing the game," Dolgon said Schumer told him. But the Crunch owner was hesitant. Was there still enough time? Would next year be better?

"Trust me," came the answer, "we're going to get this done."

And thus, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Syracuse Fairgrounds, the Crunch will host the Binghamton Senators in the American Hockey League's first outdoor game.

More details of the event -- officially named The Mirabito Outdoor Classic -- were announced Tuesday at a press conference at the Fairgrounds, where various political figures, hockey officials and others credited Dolgon as the driving force behind the game, and Schumer and Gov. David Paterson as keys to getting it done this season.

"It's of course hockey. It's of course the economy. But it's also the spirit of the whole region," Schumer said, when asked why this was important to him. "I think it did a lot for Syracuse when they made the Final Four under coach (Jim) Boeheim, and a lot for Binghamton. Same thing can happen here. If this becomes a national event that people all over the country look towards ... it'll just add a lot of spirit to the area."

Tuesday's press conference also revealed that Binghamton-based Mirabito Energy Products will serve as title sponsor, and Dolgon acknowledged Crunch enforcer Jon Mirasty has already told him he'll record the first outdoor fight in AHL history. Time Warner Cable will carry a live feed, and negotiations are underway to have the game broadcast on the NHL Network as well.

Among other details:

* Sunday, Feb. 21 will serve as a backup date in case weather becomes an issue that Saturday.

* The event is expected to cost as much as $900,000 to put on, with around $500,000 coming from the Crunch, $300,000 more from sponsorship, and an additional $75,000 courtesy of a grant from the Empire State Development Corp.

Governor Paterson has been credited with helping secure that grant as well as the use of the Fairgrounds after plans to host the outdoor game at Alliance Bank Stadium, Syracuse's Triple-A baseball park, fell through in June.

* The Houston-based company, Ice Rink Events, will construct the rink along the dirt track in front of the grandstands.

That construction, which will begin with the laying of a gravel base, is expected to be done at least a week in advance, and youth and recreational games will take place on the ice in the days and hours leading up to the Binghamton-Syracuse showdown.

The grandstands at the Fairgrounds can seat 13,000-plus fans, Dolgon said, and the team has plans to provide seating for around 5,000-6,000 more, plus space for a standing room-only crowd. The AHL single-game attendance record is 20,672, set in January of 1997 when Carolina hosted Kentucky at the Greensboro Coliseum.

"We want to break the record," Dolgon said.

* There are plans beyond the game as well.

Dolgon said he'd like to bring in seven to 10 past or present NHLers, who have either grown up in New York or played for one of the state's three NHL teams. Hot tubs, cheerleaders and "some other big ideas," are in the works as well, the Crunch owner said.

"What's great about Syracuse and Binghamton is that we're small cities in a big picture," Dolgon said. "But now we can be part of something big. Like I always said, our community can't host a Super Bowl. We're not big enough to host an NCAA Final Four. So what bigger thing can we get? This is as big as it gets. So let's blow it out. Let's show the world. And Binghamton is very much a partner in this. They're an opponent, but they're a partner."

Well, at least until the puck drops.

"I'd like to commend Howard Dolgon and the Syracuse Crunch staff for their perseverance and dedication to this event. ... I'm sure it will be a success because of their monumental efforts," B-Sens executive vice president of operations Tom Mitchell said during his public remarks at the podium.

Mitchell then added, drawing laughs along the way: "Having said that, I can promise you Howard that nothing has changed. We will be here on Feb. 20 to kick your (butt) all over the New York State Fairgrounds.

"Our coach asked me to pass that on to you."

* Tickets, priced at $30 and $40, will be available via Ticketmaster starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Call 1-(800)-745-3000.
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AHL schedules first outdoor game: Binghamton at Syracuse, Feb. 20 | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin

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I have heard 18,000 tickets sold for this Sat game, they will be loolking for 22,000 total, I'll be there..

It's also broadcast on NHL.Network..

Sounds like a cool event.

Damn, I was in Syracuse last week...

If I had a partner for the ride, I honestly think I would go

Hope you have lots of fun Ski..and of course, hope the boys make a great show and win this one

You OK?

Wow, honest to god i didn't post that. Wtf, second time this happens.

You've been hacked by the looks of it Pascal...

[QUOTE=Jasmine;80558]Damn, I was in Syracuse last week...

If I had a partner for the ride, I honestly think I would go



I would go with you in a heart beat but I don't want to miss any of the Olympic hockey games

Good experience, had fun being there today..traffic was brutal going in and out but that's expected w/ 21+..everything was done well w/ zero mishaps, good job Syracuse, you got a winner in this outdoor game set-up..

As far as B-Sens go, nothing has changed at all, they just don't have the horses or fire to compete loss after loss..

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SYRACUSE -- Indoors or outdoors, the Binghamton Senators can't seem to warm up these days.

On perhaps the most unique afternoon in franchise history, familiar flaws still led to a familiar result for the B-Sens, who dropped their third straight one-goal loss, 2-1, to the Syracuse Crunch.

The final score ultimately seemed more a footnote, though, as the two teams met in the first outdoor game in the American Hockey League's 74-year history, before a league-record crowd of 21,508 fans at the New York State Fairgrounds.

"One of the coolest experiences I've ever had, despite losing," B-Sens center Josh Hennessy said. "Obviously we wanted to come out on the other end, but even leading up to it, I didn't really realize how much I was going to enjoy it. It was pretty awesome."

The crowd, roughly 15,000 of which jammed into the grandstands section along the south side of the rink, broke the league's previous single-game attendance mark of 20,672, set back in 1997 in a game between Carolina and Kentucky at the Greensboro Coliseum.

They looked on -- along with a regional television audience on Time Warner Cable Sports, and a national audience on the NHL Network -- as the afternoon opened with two F-16 Fighting Falcons roaring past overhead, then closed with the B-Sens coming up empty on one final, frenzied power play as time expired.

"It was a great experience," B-Sens center Martin St. Pierre said. "You don't see that too often. Obviously it's the first annual, so it's definitely something that we're going to cherish and remember for a long time. But obviously, it's kind of sad that we get the loss again.

"We're not winning the games that we need to, and especially with our divisional battle. But all in all, it was a great day. And like I said, it's something that we'll cherish forever."

With grey skies, scattered flurries and temperatures that hovered in the mid-30s, the weather largely cooperated, though the teams did switch ends midway through the third period to account for a steady wind.

By and large, players gave the ice conditions good reviews in a rink that was constructed on the outer dirt track at the fairgrounds over the past seven weeks.

"It was a little better than I expected," B-Sens enforcer Jeremy Yablonski said. "It was warm this morning when we left Binghamton. It was like 30-some degrees, so I thought it might be a little soft. But we got here, it was pretty hard. They had the one spot along the edge of the wall there that was soft, broken up.

"But other than that, it was pretty decent. I mean, it got slushy out there pretty fast, but all in all, it was pretty decent. Better than I expected."

Yablonski helped heat things up quickly, fighting his longtime friend and distant cousin Jon Mirasty just 1 minute, 50 seconds into the opening period.

That fight, along with the back-and-forth play and the close finish at the end, helped the game fit its grand stage. But more defensive breakdowns and continued goal-scoring struggles ultimately derailed the B-Sens for their 10th loss in 13 games.

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Outdoor game puts chill in B-Sens | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin

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SYRACUSE -- The first outdoor game in American Hockey League history garnered rave reviews from the league's president.

"I'm pretty much overwhelmed," Dave Andrews said afterward. "I don't think anybody could ask any more. It was a very good, competitive game. The weather was pretty good. The Crunch obviously did a fantastic job of putting this project together."

Syracuse's 2-1 victory over the Binghamton Senators also set a single-game attendance record for the league, as 21,508 fans attended Saturday afternoon's event at the New York State Fairgrounds.

"The whole thing was terrific, the whole scene," Andrews said. "There was just an atmosphere and a buzz in the whole stadium here that was fantastic."

Out beyond the west end of the rink, children slid down a small hill while lobbing snowballs at each other. Others posed for pictures on a throne carved out of ice.

There was a hot tub at the east end, and large jumbo screens beyond both goals showed live coverage and replays. One of the afternoon's most dramatic images was the view back up toward the grandstands, where nearly 15,000 fans alternated chants for either the Senators or Crunch.

"It was pretty special," B-Sens center Josh Hennessy said. "It kind of felt like an Ohio State football game or something. The big grandstand, and that many people on one side. It was definitely unique. It was like nothing I've ever done. And I hope we can do it again sometime."
Sticking the landing

From high above the fairgrounds, a black dot against the grey clouds, skydiver Ray Maynard began to steer his way down toward center ice, a red, white and blue parachute streaming above him in the steady winds.

"We thought he was going to end up in Binghamton, where he dropped," said B-Sens right wing Erik Condra, with a laugh. "But he came in nice, right by that pad. He did a good job."

Indeed, Maynard helped kick off the festivities by dropping some 2,000 feet and landing just in front of his center-ice target. He slipped upon landing but popped right up, earning cheers from the crowd as players clapped their sticks against the ice.

"The jets came over just the right time, that was pretty cool," Andrews said. "And the fact that the skydiver actually landed in center ice was amazing to me. I was getting ready to jack up our liability insurance as I saw him come down."

From the stands

Among the Binghamton fans to make the trip were Brendan McInerney and Justin Lindenthaler, a pair of 15-year-olds from Norwich. Both went with the layered approach to keeping warm, wearing hooded sweatshirts under their B-Sens jerseys.

"The environment's great," McInerney said, "with the cold, and just got the good outdoor hockey feeling."

Many fans had to deal with an early headache, though, as traffic along the final mile of Interstate 690 slowed to a virtual standstill in the hours before the game. League officials said part of the reason the game was delayed some 15 minutes was to give those fans more of an opportunity to get in. They also had to attend to a broken pane of glass behind the Syracuse net.

Another complaint: A sizeable contingent of B-Sens fans bought tickets in Binghamton during the first few days they went on sale, only to find their seats in the top few rows of the grandstands.

"If Syracuse was looking to build camaraderie in the I-81 corridor with their ticket sales to B-Sens fans, the top row only brought on competition," said Jen O'Brien of Greene, who said she and her husband were nevertheless having a good time. "I think it's great to be a part of history. And knowing that that history was this close (to Binghamton) was awesome."
Slap shots

Members of the Syracuse University women's hockey team skated out during stoppages in play to shovel snow off the ice surface. ... Among those in the crowd was Syracuse University quarterback Greg Paulus. ...

Mark "Big Sexy" Hayes is a front-office staff member with the Crunch known for ripping off his shirt and dancing in the aisle at Syracuse home games. He took his act outdoors Saturday, stripping down to just his shorts before diving into a hot tub. ...

Here's Hennessy on the steady winds, which forced the teams to switch sides halfway through the third period so as to prevent one team from gaining an advantage: "I felt it. I thought that was actually a pretty big factor. Definitely easier with the wind at your back. I felt like I was skating about twice as fast going that direction. But I guess, if you really think about it, then the other team's skating into the wind on the back-check. So you've got to skate both ways anyway, no matter what end your skating at." ...

And finally, here's B-Sens head coach Don Nachbaur, when asked if he was cold standing behind the Binghamton bench: "It wasn't cold. I could have thrown my shorts on. I'm from Prince George, British Columbia, you know? Forty below. It's nothing."

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AHL outdoor spectacle in Syracuse deemed a success | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin

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Wow, that was a hell of a brawl

I had my money on the dude with the shaved head

I actually watched it!

Didn't even know that the AHL was doing a winter classic, was Channel surfing and landed on NHLN, then immediately realized it the Boys from Bingo,,, Then I realized they were playing outside lol,,,

If Cheech would have played we would have won! lol

Brodeur looked good!

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Die Hard Sens Fan Since Day 1.
For now and forever! GO SENS GO