The Winter Classic House Party presented by BlueCross BlueShield will feature a pre-game scrimmage at 11:30 a.m. with the Sabres Alumni facing off against members from the Buffalo Police and Fire Departments, followed by a live HDTV broadcast of the Winter Classic on HSBC Arena’s new HD video scoreboard.

General admission tickets for the Winter Classic House Party are $5 each, with all proceeds going to the Buffalo Sabres Foundation. Fans attending the event will be eligible to win autographed Buffalo Sabres Winter Classic jerseys that will be given away during the game. In addition, one lucky family will win the ultimate seat upgrade, as they will be whisked away by limousine to watch the Winter Classic live at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Wal Mart gets a deservedly bad rap for a lot of things they do but it looks like they’ll be taking part in a development that is great for an inner-ring Amherst that is starting to look like downtown Buffalo’s retail scene.

The huge complex on Sheridan and Bailey that used to house DSW and Hills amongst some other stores when I was a kid has been emptied out and has become quite the eyesore.