Which team won the first NHL Winter Classic in 2008?

The Pittsburgh Penguins won the first NHL Winter Classic in 2008.

The inaugural game was played on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, with the Buffalo Sabres serving as the home team. Pittsburgh defeated Buffalo 2–1 in a shootout, and Sidney Crosby scored the deciding goal against goaltender Ryan Miller.

The game was the NHL’s first Winter Classic and its second outdoor regular-season game, following the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton. It was also the first outdoor regular-season professional hockey game played in the United States. Snow and wind made the conditions unusually difficult, requiring ice repairs and a midgame resurfacing break.

Attendance reached 71,217, then an NHL record. The success helped establish the Winter Classic as an annual New Year’s Day tradition. A common mistake is to identify Buffalo as the winner because the Sabres hosted the event; Pittsburgh was the visiting team and took the victory.