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DECEMBER 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 23 The World Juniors Shuffle Back To Buffalo With The U.S. And Canada Ready To Take Their Rivalry Outside By Bill Hoppe On Lake Erie Lake Erie M i k e G i l b e r t c a n s t i l l r e m e m b e r weaving his way through the Ralph W i l s o n S t a d i u m p a r k i n g l ot e a r l y on New Year's Day in 2008, passing excited tailgaters waiting to watch history in the making at the first NHL Winter Classic. T h e e l e c t r i c a t m o s p h e r e o n t h e streets of Orchard Park, N.Y., was sur- passed only by the scene inside the stadium with the falling snow creating a snow globe effect as a crowd of more than 71,000 watched the Buffalo Sabres take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. "To have the snow falling and to see the atmo- sphere inside the stadium was really neat," the Sabres longtime public relations director recalled. And now, almost 10 years to the day, the same stadium, rebranded New Era Field, will host another ground-breaking event as the first outdoor game in the 41-year history of the IIHF World Junior Championship will take place between the United States and Canada. "It just adds a more little of a bookmark in the U.S.- Canada rivalry," Jim Johannson, Team USA's general manager for the upcoming 2018 World Juniors in Buffalo, said of the outdoor game. The marquee matchup of these North American rivals highlights the return of the World Juniors to the shores of Lake Erie after USA Hockey and the Buffalo Sabres teamed up to host a record-setting event in 2011. USA Hockey and the Sabres set the bar high seven years ago, earning rave reviews and filling KeyBank C e n t e r w i t h a r e c o r d n u m b e r o f s p e c t a t o r s . So, bringing the tournament back to town only seemed natural. DECEMBER 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 23