The classic Canada-vs.-United States rivalry flared up yet again during the 2018 World Juniors while the snow fell hard on the rink.
Friday’s game was played outside, on a temporary rink on the NFL Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field.
The U.S. beat Canada 4-3 in an overtime shootout.
The temperature was around -9 C for the duration of the game, with a wind chill of -12 C. There was snow as well as fog reported in the area.
But the players braved the cold to fight it out, as seen in these photos.
Snow shovellers were on the ice multiple times throughout the game. At one point, they cleared out three garbage cans and a wheelbarrow full of snow.
That didn’t deter the crowd, however. The International Ice Hockey Federation said over 44,000 people turned out for the event despite the snowstorm.
Though some people weren’t happy with the decision to play outdoors.
Of the NHL’s 26 regular-season games played outdoors, five have been played with temperatures below -6 C. That includes this year’s NHL 100 Classic in Ottawa, when the game-time temperature was measured at -10 C.
The coldest was the NHL’s first outdoor game at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium in 2003, when the temperature was -18 C.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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