Things are really starting to take shape at Ralph Wilson Stadium as the Winter Classic is just four days away, and the excitement is being felt all around town.

This afternoon, Outdoor Rink Wizard Dan Craig and Senior Veep Don Renzulli gave their daily update, which was also broadcast via NHL.com to media across the continent. Things are running smoothly, the men reported, and they are within 6 hours of their timetable to have everything up and running and completed, time which they should easily make up.

Craig stated that 42 tractor trailer loads of equipment had been brought in thusfar, and there is now a half inch coating of ice, and the playing surface has been painted white. While all the boards and benches are now in place, Craig indicated that the painting of the lines and logos won;t take place until Sunday, and the glass should be installed by Sunday night. Another interesting thing - they might actually “make snow” on Monday night to cover over some of the tarped areas on the field and give the entire floor a clean look.

I asked where they plan to place the cameras and platforms, and they replied that the main camera towers will be placed at center ice, while broadcast platforms for NBC and CBC will be erected in the corners in the tunnel end zone. Just for the record, about 2000 “obstructed view” seats were not sold and will be tarped over, in the areas which would have been blocked by the platforms.

After the briefing, I took a walk around the entire seating bowl to take some more snaps and also to get a viewing perspective from several angles. Those obstructed view seats (rows 1-14) really aren’t all that bad once you get above row 4. From row 5 on up you have a view of just about the entire playing surface. Row 1, however, is brutal, as you can not see even a smidgen of ice. The only thing that fans will be able to see from that angle is waist high player movements.

Next, the end zone seats are really really far from the action. I would say that the best view of the action will be from the upper deck, those first few rows between the blue lines.

Lastly, I asked Mike Gilbert about parking and tailgating, and he informed me that the lots will open at 8 AM and will be priced the same as for Bills games, $25 per vehicle. He also told me that all this as well as do’s, don’t and allowed and prohibited items are posted on the Sabres web site. Call me a knucklehead, but I searched and could not locate this info.

By Sunday we should have some great shots of what the whole set up will look like in its final form. Till then!

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