Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Now that the Buffalo Bills have cut the ribbon on the new Highmark Stadium, they're ready to show it off in an effort to bring more events to the area.
That starts this weekend with the 2026 NHL Draft in town at KeyBank Center.
Bills and Sabres president of business operations Pete Guelli told WBEN on Monday he's looking forward to taking NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on a detour to Orchard Park in the hopes of bringing an outdoor hockey game back to Western New York.
"We've already talked about coming in and touring the building," Guelli said. "The dialogue around a Stadium Series game is going really, really well right now. I think the NHL would love to have it here."
Since the first Winter Classic in 2008, the NHL has expanded to have multiple outdoor games they've branded as "Stadium Series" games. Guelli alluded to one of those games being played at the new stadium.
"They saw what Buffalo is capable of this year with that playoff run. The excitement's back," Guelli said. "Having an outdoor game here at the stadium, especially if it's close to the 20-year anniversary of the first Winter Classic, would be another real special moment for the market."
Guelli also told WBEN that attention now turns to upgrades for KeyBank Center in Downtown Buffalo. He says they have had "preliminary discussions," but those talks were early in the process.
