'Road to Winter Classic' finale celebrates great day for hockey

Frigid temperatures and outside ice necessitate certain preparations for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. Some of them in earnest; the hand warmers and extra insulation. Some of them in jest, like the Rex Specs goggles ordered for Sabres forward Kyle Okposo on Amazon and handed over as a joke by his teammates, and the balaclava donned to gentle mocking by Sabres forward Jack Eichel.

"I love this thing," Eichel proclaims during the fourth episode of "Road to the NHL Winter Classic," which debuts in Canada on SN1 at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and in the U.S. on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, following the game between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as on NHL.com and YouTube beginning on Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. ET. "I look like I'm about to rob a bank."
RELATED: [Complete Winter Classic coverage]
Or play hockey during one of the coldest cold snaps on record.
There is hockey ahead, with the Jan. 1 Winter Classic fast approaching, along with the show that documents it all, which can also be seen in full episodes on Youtube.com/NHL. Short-form versions of the 30-minute, four-week series will run on Facebook Watch via the NHL's Show Page at Facebook.com/BestoftheNHL every Friday.
But first, there are other things to attend to, such as a family skate at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. That's where you can see the faces of the Sabres light up, along with their kids and wives, alongside the people who usually only watch the players on the ice.
Though the experience is new to some, it's not to Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. He has already played in three outdoor games, including the 2012 Winter Classic.

"Leading up to the game, obviously it's a lot of talk about it and you start focusing about it and what it means to play in the game," Lundqvist says. "It's the weekend, you get to get a nice practice out there, bring the families and friends out there for a skate and take it all in today. Tomorrow it's all business. We need the points right now."
Having been through it before, he can appreciate the enormity of the stadium, the enormity of the experience.
"It's more of a roar," Lundqvist says of the sound generated by a full house at outdoor games. "When you play indoors, you can hear guys screaming from the stands, if they yell really loud. Here you can't. You can just hear a roar."
Before the game, the roar is coming only from the Rangers themselves, as they take a crack at the batting cages located within Citi Field. Kevin Hayes seems particularly pleased with his efforts, and the sound he's able to make with the ball flying off the bat.
"I heard it," teammate J.T. Miller agrees. "It sounds nice."
They also get their own family skate, with Hayes' niece joining him and Lundqvist leading one of his daughters around by her hand, all of them persevering through temperatures in the teens.
But after all the preparation, all the fun and games and family togetherness, it's time to take the ice for real. It's "a great day for hockey," Sabres coach Phil Housley says before going over the starting lineup with his team.
On the other side, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk takes the reins for the Rangers, with the honors handed over by coach Alain Vigneault.
"Expecting something big here," Vigneault ribs him.
Shattenkirk does not disappoint, starting out, "On the back end; this guy gets his haircuts and his hedge clippers at the same store, Holdy. On the other side; he won't get cold today because he doesn't feel anything, Mac Truck," he says about fellow defensemen Nick Holden and Ryan McDonagh.
For the rest, you'll just have to watch the show.
Once the game starts, it doesn't go the way the Sabres would prefer; they lose 3-2 in overtime on a power-play goal by Miller. But there are good things to be taken from the experience for each team: the joy of playing outside, the strides made as a team.

As Lundqvist says, "You don't play that many times outside, so obviously every game means a lot to you. You want to make the most of it. And it's just a fun experience to be part of, something that you don't take for granted, for sure. You're not going to enjoy this and look back at it as a great memory unless you win this game, and for me personally I enjoyed every minute. I could easily play one every year and I would not be tired of it."
A great day for hockey, indeed.