Max Weinberg and Max Weinberg's Jukebox, the quartet helmed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer - and the driving rhythmic force propelling Bruce Springsteen's The E Street Band for 43 years - will serve as the house band for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, performing throughout the outdoor game. In his 50-year professional career, Weinberg has played with some of the biggest and most diverse names in music, including Bruce Springsteen, James Brown, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Tony Bennett, Ringo Starr, John Fogerty, Stevie Winwood, Sheryl Crow, among many others. Weinberg was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the E Street Band in 2014.
From now through Dec. 29, fans can vote on Twitter and Facebook to determine which songs Max Weinberg and Max Weinberg's Jukebox will perform on New Year's Day during the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist for KISS, will perform the hit song "New York Groove" before the Sabres and Rangers take the ice. Frehley's rendition is played at Citi Field following every Mets home win. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 with KISS and has since gone on to release two Billboard Top Ten solo albums including "Space Invader" and "Origins Vol. 1." Frehley expects to release an all new album in 2018 via Entertainment One.
The pregame festivities also will include a color guard featuring members of the NYPD/FDNY Ceremonial Units. To mark the 10th anniversary of the NHL Winter Classic, the "Star Spangled Banner" will be performed by the New York City-based Every Voice Choirs, featuring children born in the year of the first ever NHL Winter Classic®. During the performance of the U.S. national anthem, Challenger the Bald Eagle will take flight in Citi Field. The pregame festivities will conclude with a flyover featuring four F-15 aircrafts flown by the 334th Fighter Squadron from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C.
Fans in the stadium and those watching at home will be entertained by the first intermission presented by Ticketmaster featuring the Goo Dolls. During the second intermission, USA Hockey will reveal the rosters for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Teams and 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.
A limited number of tickets are available to the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® via Ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing partner of the NHL®. Fans can purchase tickets safely and securely on Ticketmaster and the NHL Ticket Exchange.
Fans can join the conversation on social media by including the hashtag NHL #WinterClassic at @NHL, @NYRangers and @BuffaloSabres.