FanHouse NHL WINTER CLASSIC

One of the better ideas to come out of the NHL in recent years has been the NHL Winter Classic. Held first in Buffalo on New Year's Day in 2008, the annual outdoor game is not only into a ratings winner for NBC Sports on a day traditionally dominated by college football, it's also a big time event that's rapidly surpassed the league's All-Star Game in importance on the NHL calender.

And now, it's coming to Boston. At least that's what the Boston Herald is reporting this morning. That shot you see to the right is an artist's conception of what Fenway will be looking like come next New Year's Day when the reigning Eastern Conference Champions will get to host the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.

I went to the 2009 edition in Chicago, and trust me on this: Outside of the Stanley Cup Finals, there's no other hockey event you'd rather be at.

The NHL, not the Chicago Blackhawks or Wrigley Field, will be responsible for doling out tickets to the Winter Classic II next January. So, if you want good tickets to this massive ice party, set to go on at "holy shrine" Wrigley Field, you better be either ...

a. Rich
b. A season ticket holder of the Chicago Blackhawks
c. A season ticket holder of the Detroit Red Wings
d. A season ticket holder of the Chicago Cubs


As "Cranky Blogger" George James Malik of MLive.com opines, this event is more about the Hawks and Wings than promoting the entire NHL, as we are generally told it is.

I think that "this spectacular thing" is all about Bettman partnering with a former president of the Chicago Cubs to raise the national profile of the Chicago Blackhawks. If it was about "the fans," it would have taken place in a much larger venue, and if it was about both teams, it would probably take place in Ann Arbor, where a 100,000-seat stadium would allow the average fan to actually attend the game.

Cranky blogger or not, Malik's feelings are shared, or going to be shared, by a majority of the ticket-hungry public who will find it nigh-impossible to get a good seat, or a seat at all, to this big event.

The leading contender to host the NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day 2009 may have come up lame, and we're barely past the quarter pole. In an interview with USA Today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the league has run into some unspecified snags when it comes to using Yankee Stadium next year:

"There is some construction going on, which may impact us," he said. "There are some winterization issues because it's an older stadium. As I sit here today, I don't know whether or not they can be resolved."

Fair enough. And if Yankee Stadium won't be available, what other options does the league have?

We already know that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has contacted the league and offered to have Penn State's Beaver Stadium host the game -- as long as its between cross-state rivals Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Given how that series has proven to be something of a ratings winner for Versus during this playoff, it might not be a bad idea. As far as Bettman is concerned, he says that an announcement could come as early as next month.

But that's not the only option. There have already been reports concerning a possible game at Soldier Field in Chicago or even Fenway Park in Boston.

The NHL's marketing and promotion gets knocked around more than Sergei Brylin in the corners, so it's a relief to be able to give the League credit where it's due. By refusing to formally commit to another Winter Classic, even as the wave of success from the inaugural edition was cresting, Commissioner Gary Bettman has created a cottage industry of municipal optimism: Chicago wants a Winter Classic at Solider Field or Wrigley Field, Detroit wants an oxymoronic Winter Classic inside Ford Field, and the Rangers want to close out Yankee Stadium with a Winter Classic in New York.

That last idea has been kicking around for a bit, but it has found new life this week as the Daily News reported that momentum to finalize a deal for a Yankee Stadium Winter Classic is building. Now the scuttlebutt has shifted to potential opponents for the Blueshirts. The Daily News reports today that Lou Lamoriello "will exercise his considerable influence at the league level" to try and get the Devils into the game. Chris Chelios made waves yesterday when he told the media he "heard Detroit's playing" in the Yankee Stadium Classic. But the most interesting news was made by Steve Zipay of Newsday; although the Islanders are fighting to give the Classic total Big Apple flavor, there might be a chance for the NHL to share a little of that Yankees/Red Sox magic:

The Islanders may be the odd team out, Newsday has learned, because the Red Sox and Bruins have been lobbying heavily for a Bruins-Rangers game at Fenway Park. One plan on the table would be to have the Rangers and Bruins play Jan. 1 in the Bronx and the following year in Boston in a home-and-home series.

Unless you're some killjoy who doesn't think hockey should close out The House That Ruth Built, I think the debate is over: There's no better Winter Classic option for Yankee Stadium than New York vs. Boston, even if there isn't a back-end at Fenway in 2010. All due respect to the Islanders and Devils, but the national ratings for the Subway Series sucked for a reason. Save the Red Wings for a game in Chicago, save the Flyers for a game against Pittsburgh in Happy Valley. And save the announcement for the next Winter Classic until the Draft this summer -- right in the middle of baseball season.

Kudos to the folks from The 2 Man Advantage for driving all the way to Buffalo for the NHL Winter Classic, and getting their antics recorded on video for the rest of the world to enjoy. Brilliant stuff:

Gotta love the bathrobe.

One wonders just how much longer the league is going to continue to tolerate the traveling goon show that is the Philadelphia Flyers. Just when it seemed as if the team might be able to get through at least a week of the new year without some sort of disciplinary hearing, it looks as if Colin Campbell will have at least a case file or two to review over the next few days. To review:

• It all started Friday night when Travis Zajac of the New Jersey Devils reported that Philly's Derian Hatcher, a player who has been having a touch of trouble adapting to the "new" NHL over the past few seasons, bit him in the midst of a scrum on Friday night in New Jersey (video evidence here). The NHL has already decided to look the other way.
  
• Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Steve Downie -- yes, that Steve Downie -- decided to take a few unprovoked slashes to the back of Andy Greene's legs (video).
• Not satisfied with traveling the same road as former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, Hatcher decided it was time to engage in a bit of head hunting on Saturday night against Toronto, targeting Alexander Steen for destruction. Fortunately for Steen, he kept his "head on a swivel" and ducked to avoid the uncoming Hatcher. Unfortunately, Hatcher's teammate Joffrey Lupul didn't get out of the way, and he suffered a concussion and spinal cord contusion that will keep him off the ice for the rest of the month (again, video here).
• And as I outlined on Saturday night, the evening was topped off when Downie sucker-punched Toronto's Jason Blake while the latter had his arms pinned behind his back (pictured above, and video). The NHL is investigating.

For 24 hours now, I have been watching the news and internet reports, wondering how the NHL is going to screw the pooch on this one. You know that game that everyone is talking about (I've read so much about it, I'm going to stop mentioning it by name). The one with the highest ratings in 11 years. The one that was scripted better than Ocean's 12 and 13 (but not 11). The game with the guys, playing the sport with the ice. You know the one.

The point is, all that has come out of this is good news, and as I have at least a little knowledge of how things work with the NHL, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, I might have found the snowy footprint of that shoe in this breakdown by city of the ratings from that game with the snow and outdoors. There are some negatives to it, but before I get all pessimistic, I must admit that there is a lot of good news here, especially for small markets. Via NBC:

Top Ten Metered Markets:
1. Buffalo 38.2/58
2. Pittsburgh 17.7/30
3. Minneapolis 5.1/11
4. Denver 3.7/7
T5. Providence 3.5/7
T5. Las Vegas 3.5/6
7. St. Louis 3.3/5
8. Boston 3.2/6
9. Sacramento 2.9/6
T10. Richmond 2.8/5
T10. Hartford 2.8/5

This list brings up a lot of questions -- where are the major American markets? Detroit, the supposed HockeyTown? New York, a place with no vested college football interests? Chicago? Los Angeles? To add to that, if Gary Bettman ever needed some evidence for further expansion into Las Vegas, he just got it. Sigh ... But let's take a little bit more coherent and thought out look at this list. What exactly is going on here? Does Hartford have a case for a team again? Sacramento -- is that a joke?

Answers to all that and more after the jump.

Without a doubt, the NHL's outdoor Winter Classic was a great success. Bringing the game back to its outdoor roots certainly breaks the monotony of the long NHL season, and it was nice to see our favorite sport get some positive national attention.

With the game still somewhat fresh in our hungover minds, here is a little photo album I cobbled together from some of the fine images that Getty Images provided for us.

Today's winter classic was the first time anyone in the United States saw hockey get major, broadcast, first class television treatment since the Stanley Cup Finals were on NBC last June. Playing on New Year's Day on a broadcast network in the middle of college football bowl season is easily one of the biggest stages you can take. There were just so many hungover people out there watching television today, that when the ratings come back later this week I have a hunch they won't be as bad as they have been in recent years.

One of the interesting subplots to this was the advertising that we saw while watching the game today. To say that corporate American was behind, and ready, for a game of this magnitude was an understatement. There were all the usual advertisements that you would expect, for example along the boards, painted on the ice and on the Zambonis. What was surprising and impressive was the commercial spots that aired between stoppages of play. Advertisers showed that not only were they able to create creative hockey ads, but that they knew their audience well enough to make ads that would appeal to them.

The big winner of the day was Amp Energy Drinks, probably the biggest sponsor of the Classic, which made a nice splash with their commercial. The spot features Buffalo net minder Ryan Miller squaring off against another goalie in an MTV-esque "yo momma" joke competition. It's one of those commercials that appeals to the young-ins cause it's "hip" and "with it". Actually, those words have been replaced as nowadays the kids say "fly" and "ballin" but I digress.



Another creative and well thought out ad was Verizon Wireless' entry into the foray. They aired a spot which displayed a father banging on the glass of a maternity ward, yelling at his newborn baby in the same way a fan would yell at players during a hockey game. Sadly, this ad isn't available on YouTube just yet.

Previosuly on FanHouse:
NHL Winter Classic Live Blog
No Soup at the Winter Classic
The Tocchet Line: Worst Case Scenarios for the Winter Classic

For only the second time in NHL history, the league is holding a regular season game outdoors. Join FanHouse all afternoon long as we live blog the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres.

4:31 P.M.EST: SHOOTOUT. We start with Ales Kotalik vs Ty Conklin. Wrist shot, iron, score! 1-0, Sabres.

Ryan Christensen vs. Ryan Miller: Deke, to his backhand, he loses the handle, 1-0, Sabres.

Tim Connolly vs. Conklin: Wrister to stick side, save Conklin. 1-0, Sabres.

Kris Letang vs. Miller: Backhand to stickside, SCORE, 1-1. Simply an unbelievable goal.

Maxim Afinogenov vs. Conklin: Backhand in deep, SAVE, 1-1. Conklin makes the stop on his belly.

Sidney Crosby vs. Miller: Crosby stutter-steps. Miller goes for the poke, but Crosby puts the puck right between Miller's legs, 2-1 Penguins win the shootout and the game. Unreal ending. Pens steal two points they have no business winning. No business at all.

4:27 P.M. EST: END OT. We'll have a scrape and then a shootout. Somewhere, Gary Bettman is smiling.

4:25 P.M. EST: Is the ice tilted? Buffalo has been dominating the run of play in this game ever since the start of the second period. That's a real tribute to Lindy Ruff and Darcy Reiger, the head coach and GM who put this team together. I know Buffalo has had some bumps in the wake of losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, but I think this team makes the playoffs and gives a high seed a real headache in the first round.

4:21 P.M. EST: The Buffalo pressure is relentless, but Conklin is up to the task as the power play expires. At 2:30, the teams change ends.

ARE YOU LIVE BLOGGING THE GAME? LET US KNOW. SEND LINKS TO: FanHouse@googlegroups.com.