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Players were squinting to keep snow out of their eyes, so they could see the puck during the early minutes of the Winter Classic in front of an NHL-record crowd Tuesday afternoon.

An announced crowd of 71,217 soaked in the unique atmosphere of the Buffalo Sabres-Pittsburgh Penguins game at the home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, making it a hockey fan's experience of a lifetime.

The temperature was hovering around the freezing mark when the puck was dropped at 1:20 p.m. ET, but a brisk north wind made it feel colder. A few centimetres of snow fell overnight and after a morning lull it was snowing heavily when the players took to the ice.

Zambonis sped around the ice halfway through the first period to clear away snow. It let up before the end of the first period, but the fan fervour didn't. Most in the lower bowl stood for the entire game.

When Strathroy, Ont.-born Brian Campbell scored for Buffalo to tie the score at one early in the second period, the pro-Sabres crowd had its first chance to scream approval.

Earlier, when the players emerged from a Ralph Wilson Stadium tunnel for the pre-game warmup, bagpipers puffed up their cheeks and children who had been playing shinny on a small patch of ice behind the temporary NHL-sized rink tapped their sticks to salute the stars as they headed to the big ice.

When the players returned to the ice, they were greeted by fire shooting out from cannons near the tunnel.

The crowd roared when TV coverage kicked in at 1 p.m. ET.

It was the second regular-season outdoors NHL game. The Heritage Classic in Edmonton drew 57,167 to a minus-19 refrigerator that was Commonwealth Stadium in November 2003.

Most of the players use composite sticks, so, with the snowfall apt to make them slippery to hold, equipment managers covered the spares to keep them dry. Heaters were inside the benches to ensure players didn't get cold feet.

Thousands tailgated in parking lots before the game.

Glen King brought his family — and a hockey net, strapped to the roof of his car — across the Peace Bridge from neighbouring Fort Erie, Ont. Eight-year-old Matthew King and his pals used the net in a ball hockey game in a muddy lot.

"We came to see Sidney Crosby because he's the best player in the NHL," Matthew said.

Brent Mahoney and his six-year-old son Liam also were in the group from Fort Erie, and Sharon King and Colleen Radovanovics were busy getting sausages and hot dogs ready to cook on a camp stove.

"We brought milk and cookies for the boys," said Radovanovics.

Five men who motored north from Pittsburgh in Dan Day's pickup truck had more potent beverages in their hands.

"We only brought the necessities," said a smiling Garrett Zajdel, wearing a vintage Penguins power blue sweater like the ones worn by Crosby and his teammates against the Sabres.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Zajdel.

The record for biggest crowd for a hockey game remains 74,544 for the "Cold War" U.S. college game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., on Oct. 6, 2001.

Mark Kasniak and a few other locals were among the first tailgaters to arrive.

"We wanted to get in early to get the fire going," said Kasniak.

They stood around a roaring blaze in a barrel and fed it from a pile of smashed pallets. The lower back of Kasniak's coat was singed from getting too close to the barrel.

"This is awesome," said Kasniak, swigging from a can of beer. "Since the (NFL's) Bills never do anything good, let the Sabres have their day." Long lines formed at tents where shirts, hats and other merchandise was selling sold. There were various displays, face-painting, ice sculptures and a rock band. Bundled-up fans strolled around taking it all in before the gates opened.

Rob Higgins of Toronto, who drove across the border with two friends, soaked up the atmosphere.

"What strikes me about what was going on outside the stadium is the difference between an American and a Canadian event," Higgins said of the tailgate scene. "It's amazing how civilized this is".

"There's a sense of community. It's just a great event." He had tickets to the Toronto Maple Leafs' home game Tuesday night versus Tampa Bay and was hoping border traffic jams wouldn't keep him from attending both games. A buddy handed him an amber beverage.

"It's a good day to hang out with the boys," said a smiling Steven Collins.

Dan Wozniak and his daughter, Lily, got to their spots in the upper tier's top row, used a towel to dry water from the metal bench, and took in the view.

"It's no worse than being in the last row at the arena," said Wozniak, who lives just a few blocks from the stadium. "This is great".

"I wish they'd have a game like this every year here. I'd come every year." Brian Sargent, from neighbouring Lockport, N.Y., also was in the upper tier a long, long way from the action, but he didn't mind at all.

"It's a great view," he said.

It was a great way to spend time with his 12-year-old granddaughter, Paige, who brought him along after buying two US$40 tickets on the Internet for the lofty perch.

"It's sweet," she said of being at the most hyped hockey event of the season.

This game, as was the case with the Heritage Classic, was all about celebrating the sport's roots and exposing it to a vast TV audience. Both were huge successes. The NHL will do this again, and the wait won't likely be four years next time.