Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - During an event hosted by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) on Thursday at the Statler Hotel in Downtown Buffalo, Bills and Sabres Chief Operating Officer (COO) Pete Guelli detailed efforts by both teams to bring more high profile events to Western New York in the years to come.
It has been previously reported that the Bills are looking to bring the NFL Draft to Buffalo, especially after recent success stories for cities like Detroit and Kansas City over the last couple of years.
Not only did Guelli, once again, affirm the team's intentions of hosting the NFL Draft in the future, he also says the Sabres are actively working to pursue the NHL Winter Classic, which the team first hosted in 2008 at Highmark Stadium.
"We're very serious about bringing big events to Buffalo," said Guelli following Thursday's event.
When it comes to the NFL Draft, Guelli says conversations with the NFL are already well underway, and the league knows of the intentions of not just the team, but also the City of Buffalo.
"We've asked them about the '28 or '29 NFL Draft. We know it's on their radar, and we know we're a potential destination for that event, so we're going to continue that process," Guelli noted.
For several years, the NFL hosted its annual NFL Draft in New York City, before electing to change it up every year with a new host city starting in 2015. Since then, cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Nashville and Cleveland have hosted the draft.
The league has already planned ahead for the next two drafts as well, with the City of Green Bay hosting the 2025 NFL Draft and the City of Pittsburgh hosting in 2026.
Meanwhile, Guelli adds he has also spoken to the NHL about bringing back the Winter Classic to Western New York for a second time.
"2028 is the 20-year anniversary of the first one. It would be great if those things lined up," Guelli said. "Not sure on timing, but they're aware that we'd love to have an event like that here as well."
The first NHL Winter Classic saw the Sabres hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year's Day in 2008. Since then, the game has become an annual tradition, and has spurred the growth of outdoor hockey games on the NHL schedule each year.
The Sabres also took part in the 2018 NHL Winter Classic, the 10-year anniversary of the game, which took place at Citi Field in Queens against the New York Rangers. While the game did not take place in Western New York, it was considered a home game for the Sabres that year.
This year's Winter Classic is set to take place on Dec. 31, 2024 when the Chicago Blackhawks host the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. It is the second time in the game's history the Blackhawks and Blues will meet, with the first matchup taking place in 2017 in St. Louis.