2013 Winter Classic: Hosted by Wings? Sharks or Toronto Involved?

[Thrillingbroom]

Regardless, it would be nice if they announced it a way's in advance if what they're saying about when the announcement is true. Wasn't this past year's obscenely late?

Puck Daddy said they wanted to try and announce it before the All-Star.

 

[northeastern]

Detroit vs. Boston sounds good to me

I'm right there with you. my mom lived in detroit when she was young. i'd fly out to go to that game.

toronto surprises me.. a lot. I can't see NBC allowing one of the two major markets neing Canadian

is the heritage game coming back?

 

[Jonas1235]

Bob Mackenzie says that the NHL wants 115,000 people at this game. The Leafs being involved shouldn't be seen as a negative. They have a huge draw. Even if the american tv ratings are the same for next years as it was or this years game, then the game would be a huge success.

Should add another 2 million viewers in Canada.

Can you imagine what the jersey sales will be? I think this is why the NHL is going to announce it soon and not wait. They want to fully capitalize on this. I wouldn't be surprised if the jersey concepts were already made.

 

[FiveAndGame]

If the Canucks or Sharks get bounced again in the Playoffs, it could make an interesting storyline for 24/7 to follow (w/Washington). Two teams of elite talent, unable to get it done in the playoffs. Some seriously interesting interviews in there.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Puck Daddy said they wanted to try and announce it before the All-Star.

Really? Wow, that'd be great.

Heck, that'd actually be a neat thing if the NHL announced the upcoming Winter Classic at the All-Star Game year in and year out. Especially would be cool if the NHL held more of an Olympic bid type of situation where they actually actively went out and looked at multiple sites and actually had teams/cities put together arguments for why they should host it, rather then.... um.... however the heck they decide it now. I assume by throwing a magnetic dart at an oddly polarized map that draws it into the northeast.

 

[CorbeauNoir]

Especially would be cool if the NHL held more of an Olympic bid type of situation where they actually actively went out and looked at multiple sites and actually had teams/cities put together arguments for why they should host it.

I think that format would work better if the WC was every few years. Rebooting the entire process of putting bids together and evaluating the proposed options every season would be pretty exhausting and redundant, I think. What about Boston saying "hey look, you could have an outdoor game at Fenway Park!" would be any different between 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015...?

 

[MaskedSonja]

I'm right there with you. my mom lived in detroit when she was young. i'd fly out to go to that game.

toronto surprises me.. a lot. I can't see NBC allowing one of the two major markets neing Canadian

is the heritage game coming back?

From the little bits I've been reading on the different forums Toronto is considered an "international" city, and probably one of the few Canadian teams that would be included for an "American" event without worries about viewership

my understanding is it IS the Winter Classic and Toronto is the first Canadian team to participate


From personal experience, having lived in the states ), when I mentioned I liked hockey and was from Canada, I was suprised at number of people who said "Oh, you a Toronto Maple Leafs fan?"(I'm not, just more general hockey fan) Toronto is actually a fairly well known team in the US-even among "non hockey fans"

 

[CorbeauNoir]

I'm right there with you. my mom lived in detroit when she was young. i'd fly out to go to that game.

toronto surprises me.. a lot. I can't see NBC allowing one of the two major markets neing Canadian

is the heritage game coming back?

I think the physical presence of such a game mitigates the TV numbers somewhat. The attendance would eclipse anything seen before and likely ever again in a WC, to say nothing of merchandise sales that would be generated between two of the biggest, most well-established teams in the sport. The NHL is going to be practically printing money with this game at the gate alone, and considering the sheer number of transplanted Wings fans there are in the States I'm not even that convinced that the TV ratings are going to be that negatively impacted by Toronto's participation in the first place.

 

[LadyStanley]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/coll...omNhl-TopStories+(Sports+-+NHL+-+Top+Stories)

AD confirms discussions ongoing... but there are a lot of complications, it's a holiday, etc.

 

[TTOMO]

Citifield for 2014, 2015, or 2016. NYI will be good by then, largest market, "franchise back from the dead" will be a good human interest story, and NYI might be moving into the neighborhood by that time. And it would be great for NYI/Mets to pull it off before NYR/Yanks!

I would hope 2016. It would give me an extra incentive to go back to New York with my brother (we just went out there in October to see some Islanders games, the Giants/Seahawks, and the Canucks/Flyers in Philly). I say 2016, because I'd want to go back when the World Trade Center complex is completed, and it should be by then.