Cold temperatures don't slow party at Winter Classic

NEW YORK -- Kelly Kramer picked a perfect day to attend her first New York Rangers game.
The 27-year-old from Long Beach, New York, who is a nurse at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, said she has been too busy to get to Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to get to the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field on Monday.

Related: [Full Winter Classic coverage]
Not even the frigid temperatures on the first day of 2018 could cool her enthusiasm.
"I really like the cold. I like freezing," she said.
She may have been joking, but the tailgating in the Citi Field parking lots before the game was serious business, with plenty of hot and cold drinks, charcoal grills and enough food to feed a stadium full of hockey fans for the 10th edition of the NHL's New Year's Day outdoor showcase.
Kramer was with a group that included her aunt, Kathy Carter, and uncle, "Big Bill" Carter, who Kathy calls the biggest Rangers fan ever.
"His whole man cave is dedicated to the Rangers," said Kathy, 53, a teacher from Lynbrook, New York. "He even has a goal horn that goes off every time the Rangers score."
Kathy said the tickets to the Winter Classic were a family Christmas gift and she couldn't have thought of a better way to start 2018.
"It's a great day to be together," Kathy said. "The first day of the year, 2018."
Adjacent to Kelly and Kathy's tailgate party in the Citi Field parking lot was The PreGame, the official fan festival of the NHL Winter Classic.

The PreGame was a free event that featured hockey attractions, special appearances, food and music, as well as a New York Rangers-themed team history inside the Centennial Fan Arena.
Paul Perrotti, 48, from Danbury, Connecticut, was at the game with his 12-year-old son Jordan, who met former NHL player and current NBC Sports analyst Jeremy Roenick at The PreGame.
Paul said they were looking forward to seeing former Rangers forward Adam Graves, who was making an appearance, seeing the Stanley Cup and going inside the Fan Arena, a 53-foot museum truck with an innovative interior featuring more than 1,000 square feet of interactive digital displays, original video content, one-of-a-kind historical memorabilia, unique photo moments and a social media wall.
The Fan Arena, which debuted at the 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic in Toronto on Dec. 30, 2016, was making its final appearance of the NHL's Centennial celebration on Monday.
In the past year the Fan Arena made 38 stops, traveled more than 55,000 miles and was visited by more than 80 NHL players and alumni, including Wayne Gretzky.
"For a kid to experience something like this is unbelievable," Paul said.