Associated Press

Sidney Crosby will show off his passing skills at the same place Jim Kelly did for years in front of shivering fans at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium.

It'll be pucks instead of footballs and the home team will be the Buffalo Sabres and not the Bills.

Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Sabres on New Year's Day in the first outdoor NHL game in the United States. It will be the second time the league staged such an event in the regular season, coming more than four years after the Montreal Canadiens faced the Oilers outside on a frigid November day in Edmonton.

''I'm excited,'' said Crosby, 20, the reigning NHL Most Valuable Player. ''I think it's going to be a great experience for everyone. We all watched the Edmonton-Montreal game. We've all prepared for this at some point in our careers, playing outside, so I think it's going to be a lot of fun for us and for the fans.''

Buffalo was chosen for its dependably cold winters and proximity to Pittsburgh, from where fans are expected to make the 225-mile trip in droves. The NHL already is making plans to organize bus excursions and hold hotel rooms.

Tickets, ranging from $29 to $225, were scheduled to go on sale this morning. The game will be televised by NBC against college football bowls.

More NHL: Fisher sticks with Senators

Versatile center Mike Fisher agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $21 million with the Ottawa Senators. Fisher had five goals and five assists in 20 playoff games last season for the Senators, who reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo is out indefinitely due to a hairline fracture in his left wrist. Salo, 33, entering his eighth season in the NHL, was injured while delivering a check during an intrasquad game Sunday.

NBA: Bell signs sheet with Heat

Restricted free-agent guard Charlie Bell signed an$18.5 million, five-year offer sheet with the Miami Heat, and now will wait to see if the Milwaukee Bucks choose to match that deal. Bell averaged a career-high 13.5 points in a breakout season last year for the Bucks, making 64 starts. The Bucks have seven days to match Miami's offer.

NBA referee Joey Crawford was reinstated by commissioner David Stern, five months after he was suspended indefinitely for improper on-court conduct.

Colleges: Notre Dame QB transferring

Demetrius Jones, the Notre Dame quarterback who lost the starting position after a poor performance in the season opener, expects to play next season at Northern Illinois after his decision to transfer.

Arkansas defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell has been suspended by coach Houston Nutt for Saturday night's game against No. 21 Kentucky. Mitchell was ejected from last weekend's loss at Alabama after apparently grabbing an opponent's helmet and hitting him with it.

The Southeastern Conference fined Kentucky $25,000 for violating league policy about keeping fans off the playing field after the Wildcats' 40-34 victory over Louisville. It is the school's second violation of the policy since it was adopted in 2004.

Other: Fernandez seeks another gold

Lisa Fernandez, the gold-medal winning pitcher who led the American softball team in hitting at the Athens Games, was one of 18 players selected to the U.S. roster. Fernandez had taken a three-year break to give birth and take care of her first child. Fernandez and outfielder Laura Berg will be trying for their fourth gold medals next August in Beijing, the last time softball is scheduled to be played at the Olympics.

Michael Waltrip hired Dr. Eric Warren as technical director, the first of many moves he hopes will strengthen his three-car team. Warren, who has a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University, spent the past five years as technical director at Evernham Motorsports.

The United States needs only a tie today against Nigeria to reach the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup in Shanghai, China. A tie will be enough to advance the United States, which is unbeaten in 49 games. However, a victory in the final Group B game might ensure a slightly easier opponent in the quarterfinal. The group winner will face England and the second-place team gets defending champion Germany.