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

[Seanconn*]

Red Wings/ Avalanche just seems like a no brainer to me.

Avalanche/ Wild too.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

What an effing farce. Let's go over it again...

Pittsburgh @ Buffalo
Detroit @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Boston
Washington @ Pittsburgh
New York @ Philadelphia
TBD @ Washington

It's almost as though they skipped something in there... surely not the city with the baseball stadium owned by the NHL team owner, where 37,000+ showed up to watch the Frozen Four final just a year and a half ago, in the same metro area with the town that got over 110,000 people to a college hockey game just this past December? Where you can guarantee freezing temperatures? Oh, yes, and it's also the 11th largest media market in the country and one of the driving forces in NHL ratings.

The sense of entitlement from Wings fans never surprises.

 

[txpd]

I am not sure why anyone paying attention is surprised by this. It was widely reported that the Capitals only agreed to play the Penguins in the last WC after the NHL promised them a host of the game in the near future.
The Capitals wanted to play in the game but wanted nothing to do with the Penguins.

As tired as some are here of the Crosby v Ovechkin act, the Capitals ownership is tired of having the majority of their national network games being against the Penguins.

 

[billybobjoe2112]

Why not Avs/Wild or Avs/Wings. Either city could host and it would be perfect weather.

 

[BestRussian71*]

It's not as simple as some of you think. No casual fan would want to watch the avalanche or wild. These teams aren't even playoff contenders in a league in which more than half of teams make the playoffs. I think the kings and Tampa should be featured in a game, maybe tb will play wash next season.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

What's with people thinking Avs/Wings is still an actual rivalry?

 

[Bruinbear]

Washington is too far south! and no southern team (which have awful tv ratings) should be in the game. Tampa doesn't have the fan base for the winter classic. None of the sunbelt teams have the tv rating star power of the northern teams. It will always feature one northern team.

Big House with the Redwings is the best option available. Hell let the bruins play them there two original 6 teams and you get two distinct fan bases to bring in tv ratings

 

[The Slovak Sniper]

Washington is too far south!

Scratch geography off the list of things you're good at...

It's definitely not the in the sunbelt. And if you don't think the Winter Classic should tap into by far the wealthiest market in the nation then it's a good thing you're not in charge.

What an effing farce. Let's go over it again...

Pittsburgh @ Buffalo
Detroit @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Boston
Washington @ Pittsburgh
New York @ Philadelphia
TBD @ Washington

It's almost as though they skipped something in there... surely not the city with the baseball stadium owned by the NHL team owner, where 37,000+ showed up to watch the Frozen Four final just a year and a half ago, in the same metro area with the town that got over 110,000 people to a college hockey game just this past December? Where you can guarantee freezing temperatures? Oh, yes, and it's also the 11th largest media market in the country and one of the driving forces in NHL ratings.

Detroit should get one in the near future. Maybe not next year, but it'd be great.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Truth be told, I'm worried about the future of the Winter Classic. I fear that the NHL/NBC will go for the short-term route of recycling the same teams over and over again with the argument that only a few markets are truly hockey mad enough to get great national ratings, to the detriment of the event itself as it changes from a special event to look forward to into some type of novelty that actually gets pretty repetitive.

Sure, it'll great to be a Penguins or a Flyers fan, and likely Hawks, Wings, Caps, and Bruins fan, as you know more likely than not that you'll repeat once every few years in the thing. But for the vast majority of the league, it'd just be annoying humdrum if the same teams keep getting the honor of hosting something that they'll not only never host for various reasons, both legitimate and not legitimate, and likely never even get the opportunity to play in it as a road team.

As far as I'm concerned, these are the current U.S. NHL markets that could legitimately host an outdoor, early January event:

Colorado
St. Louis (average high 30s to low 20s in January, so not farfetched climatically)
Minnesota
Chicago
Detroit
Columbus/Ohio
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Washington (probably the least likely, a bit warmer than St. Louis)
Philadelphia
New York/New Jersey
Boston

That's the potential for 14 "host" teams (with St. Louis and Washington being the biggest stretches due to the greater potential for higher temperatures, but honestly still plausible), plus you could add to that God knows how many different locations that could theoretically host the events throughout the northeast, midwest, and even Pacific NW if the NHL ever wanted to just have a completely neutral Winter Classic as a test for hockey interest in that region. That should theoretically be more than enough for the Winter Classic to never get stale but, as I said, honestly see the NHL going down the path of just repeating the same teams over and over again even if it ends up killing the event in the long run.

 

[Killion]

It's not as simple as some of you think. No casual fan would want to watch the avalanche or wild. These teams aren't even playoff contenders in a league in which more than half of teams make the playoffs. I think the kings and Tampa should be featured in a game, maybe tb will play wash next season.

Youd hope, but thats the problem. Technically, its possible to play an outdoor game in Miami, Phoenix, Dallas. Whats the frikin problem?. Standings & stats, whether or not Delaware North has the concessions or AEG manages the stadium shouldnt have a thing to do with it, but there you go...

...the same teams over and over again even if it ends up killing the event in the long run.

Of course, but theres only enough room for 6 at the Head of the Table called the NHL Executive Committee. Even within the small cadre of their private club there be a hierarchy, the OC would be a money making machine, no sharesee's. Where do you think the majority of annual financial growth Mr. Bettman boasts of is coming from?.

 

[BestRussian71*]

Truth be told, I'm worried about the future of the Winter Classic. I fear that the NHL/NBC will go for the short-term route of recycling the same teams over and over again with the argument that only a few markets are truly hockey mad enough to get great national ratings, to the detriment of the event itself as it changes from a special event to look forward to into some type of novelty that actually gets pretty repetitive.

Sure, it'll great to be a Penguins or a Flyers fan, and likely Hawks, Wings, Caps, and Bruins fan, as you know more likely than not that you'll repeat once every few years in the thing. But for the vast majority of the league, it'd just be annoying humdrum if the same teams keep getting the honor of hosting something that they'll not only never host for various reasons, both legitimate and not legitimate, and likely never even get the opportunity to play in it as a road team.

As far as I'm concerned, these are the current U.S. NHL markets that could legitimately host an outdoor, early January event:

Colorado
St. Louis (average high 30s to low 20s in January, so not farfetched climatically)
Minnesota
Chicago
Detroit
Columbus/Ohio
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Washington (probably the least likely, a bit warmer than St. Louis)
Philadelphia
New York/New Jersey
Boston

That's the potential for 14 "host" teams (with St. Louis and Washington being the biggest stretches due to the greater potential for higher temperatures, but honestly still plausible), plus you could add to that God knows how many different locations that could theoretically host the events throughout the northeast, midwest, and even Pacific NW if the NHL ever wanted to just have a completely neutral Winter Classic as a test for hockey interest in that region. That should theoretically be more than enough for the Winter Classic to never get stale but, as I said, honestly see the NHL going down the path of just repeating the same teams over and over again even if it ends up killing the event in the long run.

Pittsburgh won't be in it anytime soon

Colorado sucks

Minnesota sucks

New jersey/nyi sucks

St Louis can't even make the playoffs, they lack a superstar player

Buffalo has already hosted one and they lack a superstar, but they are a far better team than most others suggested.

Philly is hosting this year

Chicago already hosted

Boston already hosted

So my guess for 2013 would be Detroit hosting st. Louis or columbus, depending if either is respectable by then

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Pittsburgh won't be in it anytime soon

Colorado sucks

Minnesota sucks

New jersey/nyi sucks

St Louis can't even make the playoffs, they lack a superstar player

Buffalo has already hosted one and they lack a superstar, but they are a far better team than most others suggested.

Philly is hosting this year

Chicago already hosted

Boston already hosted

So my guess for 2013 would be Detroit hosting st. Louis or columbus, depending if either is respectable by then

If Detroit hosts it during 2013, the best bet is to face them off against San Jose. That's an actual rivalry and the games have always been good between the two. And it would be nice to see a new team that deserves a bit of recognition thrown in there. But since it'll likely be Washington, it could be against Tampa Bay or New Jersey.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Scratch geography off the list of things you're good at...

It's definitely not the in the sunbelt. And if you don't think the Winter Classic should tap into by far the wealthiest market in the nation then it's a good thing you're not in charge.



Detroit should get one in the near future. Maybe not next year, but it'd be great.

Is this serious? Maryland, DC and Virginia are all southern states. DC is a southern city. It is not northeast, that is Washington Post Magazine propaganda.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States

I bet you think Delaware is part of the northeast as well.

 

[drive45]

WC in Queens!

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!

Question: when they have it in a baseball park, why don't they set up temporary bleachers in the outfield so that people can sit closer to the game?

 

[Killion]

Question: when they have it in a baseball park, why don't they set up temporary bleachers in the outfield so that people can sit closer to the game?

Because that would cost a lot money & negate the existing bleacher seats in the home run out of the parks field of vision way way way WAY back. Ball parks are also expensive to stage a game in, as many have reverted to natural & really pricey Kentucky Blue Grass & other exotics; ripping into it not exactly kosher. Ill suited for temporary ice surfaces by design including stadia seating configurations. Concert wise, their ideal. Stoners on the ground absent bleachers at a pretty penny each & everyone...

 

[danishh]

i just thought this should be on record somewhere on the business board before we get even more western fans complaining about the WC (sorry LS).

there is a very good reason why the WC stays in the eastern or central timezones, and it is very clearly shown visibly above.

 

[Oobz]

I vote San Jose @ Detroit for the next winter classic. I think that's a splendid and marketable idea.

 

[KzooShark]

I vote San Jose @ Detroit for the next winter classic. I think that's a splendid and marketable idea.

Should have been this year. It's not like they've met in the playoffs 3 times in the last 5 years or anything and 11 of the last 12 postseason meetings were essentially one goal games.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Question: when they have it in a baseball park, why don't they set up temporary bleachers in the outfield so that people can sit closer to the game?

To go along with the added costs that were mentioned, the fact is this is a TV event and they really don't care all that much about people at the game.

 

[edog37]

The sense of entitlement from Wings fans never surprises.

What amazes me even more is that people on here can't get this simple concept down....the NHL is a business & will act accordingly. It isn't a type of league where everyone gets a trophy either. The teams already involved in the rotation will stay there for one simple reason: money. So until, other teams either get really good or start to have a national presence, they will not get into the WC discussion...

 

[tarheelhockey]

What irks me slightly about these conversations is that we KNOW Detroit, NYC and Washington will all host one in the near future. That's obvious. Yet there is still no end of whining about the selection process.

Ok, Detroit, say you don't get it next year. You're practically guaranteed to host in 2013 or 2014, putting you ahead of at least 26 other teams. Not to mention you've already played in and WON one of them. Jeez, be happy already.

 

[Lenain22]

What about a game in canada ? Ottawa, Toronto or Montreal ca be a good place for WC

But a game NY Rangers vs Devils ca be good to !!!

 

[Shrimper]

What about a game in canada ? Ottawa, Toronto or Montreal ca be a good place for WC

There's a thing called the Heritage classic.

 

[Melrose Munch]

What amazes me even more is that people on here can't get this simple concept down....the NHL is a business & will act accordingly. It isn't a type of league where everyone gets a trophy either. The teams already involved in the rotation will stay there for one simple reason: money. So until, other teams either get really good or start to have a national presence, they will not get into the WC discussion...

No its the type of league, where almost everyone makes the playoffs. And it should be supporting its CHI, TOR, DET type teams in this event. Not teams like Pittsburgh who until 6 years ago had crappy attendance.

 

[Brodie]

The sense of entitlement from Wings fans never surprises.

every

other

road team

got to host one

within 3 years

I don't complain about not getting all star games or drafts because our arena is a piece of crap, but this is just moronic at this point. Michigan has already proven itself to be the top market on the planet for outdoor hockey. And it's not like there's a real issue with the city... how many Winter Classic cities have hosted the Super Bowl and the MLB All Star game in the past half decade?