I remember watching it then. Remember, Messier was an active player in November of 2003 still, but they let him play in the old timers game for the Oilers. I remember just thinking how cold it looked. That being said, the novelty wore off. I never thought even then that I would like to be there. There is a reason the Super Bowl is played in a warm climate or a dome. No one wants to freeze after paying lots of money to do so.
Plus they are every year now and the games are painful to watch. The players look like they have snowshoes on the way they skate. One of the best seasons in the last 30 years was interrupted (Crosby) because of that game. Maybe if the game is played in an NHL rink Crosby has a bit more awareness of things and notices Steckel coming.
Yeah, novelty that wore off real quick though mainly with the more traditionalist, older fans. It was & still is a ratings hit and as such the now departed VP.Marketing & Broadcast of the NHL John Collins really went to town on these events, conjoining corporate sponsorships with media buy-in's with the Outdoor & Stadium Games the centerpiece of an entire 82 Game Schedule, ASG & Playoffs included. Record profits for the NHL, teams fighting over the right to host, big time cash injection, boosted ratings which had been anemic, however.... absolutely milked that cow dry.
Like you I had/have zero interest in attending such an event. Sightlines absurd. No interest in freezing my ass off. Not a fan of matinee games which most of them are..... Now, if they staged them at unique venues, like lets say on the Plains of Abraham outside of Quebec City, Main Lawn of Canadas' Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Lake Louise in Banff, on the Mall in Washington DC, former US Civil War Battlefield sites & other National Monuments, The Alamo, Desert Floor in Phoenix.... and ya, we have the technology... team up with Cirque de Soleil an option as they know EXACTLY what their doing in staging major totally portable events of considerable size in highly creative & imaginative ways .... then sure, I'd go.