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

[puckguy11]

Lady, you might agree with this one and i know nobody will like it will all of there east coast bias but Sharks vs. Ducks at At&t park or at the coliseum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vs

No lie, Sharks/Ducks at AT&T would literally be the best Winter Classic ever.

 

[Kebekoi]

@

Campbell's team VS Bettman's team

I wonder which team the refs will root for...

 

[jigglysquishy]

I don't see the WC living for more than a few more years. Outside of the Canadian teams there are less than 15 teams that have outdoor hockey conditions. You can't have the WC when half the league participates.

This thread does remind me of how weird it'd be to live in a warm climate. I've been skating outside for two weeks now I can't imagine going the whole year with no pond hockey.

 

[Foy]

I don't see the WC living for more than a few more years. Outside of the Canadian teams there are less than 15 teams that have outdoor hockey conditions. You can't have the WC when half the league participates.

This thread does remind me of how weird it'd be to live in a warm climate. I've been skating outside for two weeks now I can't imagine going the whole year with no pond hockey.

They had an outdoor game in Vegas and the ice was fine. If a suitable team is able to stpe up and hold the game in a southern climate, I'm sure the NHL would be willing to put it in the South if the $$$ was right.

 

[johnjm22]

It doesn't have to be cold to have an out door game.

 

[End of Line]

I would like to see Blues @ Redwings in the Big House next year. Hell, I might even go and I'm not a fan of either team.

 

[LadyStanley]

Sharks could host @ AT&T or Stanford Stadium (or Cal) -- totally avoiding any NFL venues. Temperatures aren't that much of a problem. Humidity yes (IIRC, we sit around 60% in the winter).

The biggest issue about holding an outdoor event in the region is the potential for rain.

 

[kdb209]

Sharks could host @ AT&T or Stanford Stadium (or Cal) -- totally avoiding any NFL venues. Temperatures aren't that much of a problem. Humidity yes (IIRC, we sit around 60% in the winter).

Although there is a Bowl Game (Kraft Fights Hunger Bowl) scheduled at AT&T Park on Dec 31.

 

[EvilCoop]

I'm not offended by calling it THE Big House. OSU fans can be, though, of course the school's official name is THE Ohio State University. Pompous ****s

But yes, an NHL game at THE Big House would be very neat. I'd actually go to it, unlike The Big Chill, where I didn't want to have to walk a mile in the snow. (The parking is awful)

 

[Crease]

I'd definitely watch Wings Sharks. I think these games should be rivalry games too; if you're trying to get mass appeal for the game, division rivals always bring extra juice.

 

[Warfunkel]

No way a canadian team gets the winter classic lol

Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Quebec would all likely be too cold for an open stadium game in the winter. Vancouver doesn't get much snow and the temperature normally hovers around zero. The wind is brutal, but wouldn't be a big deal within the walls of B.C. Place. Toronto vs. Montreal should be the first game anyone would think of as "classic", but the weather would likely be a factor.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Quebec would all likely be too cold for an open stadium game in the winter. Vancouver doesn't get much snow and the temperature normally hovers around zero. The wind is brutal, but wouldn't be a big deal within the walls of B.C. Place. Toronto vs. Montreal should be the first game anyone would think of as "classic", but the weather would likely be a factor.

You do know that the Winter Classic idea started in Edmonton?

Both Calgary and Edmonton have hosted a outdoor game and they're the two coldest cities in the NHL.

 

[Needles]

@

Make it happen!

 

[Made Dan]

You do know that the Winter Classic idea started in Edmonton?

Both Calgary and Edmonton have hosted a outdoor game and they're the two coldest cities in the NHL.

First outdoor game with NHL teams was in Vegas..Rangers/Kings..

 

[Alberta]

First outdoor game with NHL teams was in Vegas..Rangers/Kings..

The ice was brutal in that game, FYI. Gretzky refused to come out for the third period and both teams agreed to finish out the game playing non-contact.

 

[Bjorn Le]

The ice was brutal in that game, FYI. Gretzky refused to come out for the third period and both teams agreed to finish out the game playing non-contact.

It wouldn't be that bad now, but it would still suck.

 

[skymachine]

Lady, you might agree with this one and i know nobody will like it will all of there east coast bias but Sharks vs. Ducks at At&t park or at the coliseum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vs

Wow a WC at the Coliseum....that would be the day. Raider Nation Winter Classic

I seriously think a WC at AT&T Park in San Francisco would be a big success. Bring in Detroit or an Eastern team to attract more national interest. The warmest it would be would be mid-50s, but definitely cool and not muggy. Would be very picaresque on the SF Bay, but would be weird if they decided to cover the field in fake snow, which I think they usually do for the event.

 

[johnjm22]

The ice was brutal in that game, FYI.

I recall the ice being just fine. In fact, they had to raise the tempature of the playing surface slightly because it was too cold. The main problem they had was grasshoppers jumping on the ice.

Gretzky refused to come out for the third period and both teams agreed to finish out the game playing non-contact.

I've been a Kings fan my whole life and this is the first time I've ever heard this. I recall Gretzky playing all 3 periods and there was contact through out.


- Edit -

This is a video is from the 3rd period of the game:


Non contact?

 

[EbencoyE]

The ice was brutal in that game, FYI. Gretzky refused to come out for the third period and both teams agreed to finish out the game playing non-contact.

odd, I just watched that game not too long ago when they showed it on the NHL Network and I don't remember any such things. Only problem they had with the ice was attracting grasshoppers.

 

[CorbeauNoir]

First outdoor game with NHL teams was in Vegas..Rangers/Kings..

I think the point was that being 'too cold' hasn't stopped outdoor games from being held or people from attending. Calgary was brutally cold during last year's HC, and AFAIK it was much the same story in Edmonton. The stars seem to be aligning for Winnipeg hosting an HC in the near future, at that.

 

[Warfunkel]

I think the point was that being 'too cold' hasn't stopped outdoor games from being held or people from attending. Calgary was brutally cold during last year's HC, and AFAIK it was much the same story in Edmonton. The stars seem to be aligning for Winnipeg hosting an HC in the near future, at that.

Canad Inns Stadium would be absolutely painful for the fans to watch a hockey game in. I know they still go to see the Blue Bombers, but football season ends before the winter starts. Looking at pictures of it, it looks like there is no cover for the lower seats and an awning over the upper seats would only create a venturi effect for the wind. It doesn't appear to have walls like B.C. Place does either. It would take a real die hard fan to attend a game in the coldest major city in the world at a completely open stadium. I'd wait for the new stadium to be built, which wouldn't take long. It too will be a purpose built football stadium, so I don't see it being too much better in terms of protecting occupants form the weather.

I'm basing this on what I've seen in pictures and on TV, so if there's any Blue Bombers fans out there that know something I don't about Canad Inns, chime in.

 

[Brodie]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2011/12/red_wings_in_talks_with_nhl_to.html




How timely!

I still think the marketing/promo potential for NBC is superior if Michigan Stadium is used. It holds the record for the largest outdoor hockey audience ever, plus the appeal of putting an NHL game in a venue that can break that record would be intriguing.

With Ilitch Holdings being the facility operator of Comerica, I can understand the desire to use that facility, but it can only house 41K. With the NHL limiting tickets to each group, the potential at the Big House is clearly superior.

The problem is the odds of Michigan playing in a bowl game on New Year's Day are high (all it takes is a top 5 finish in the Big Ten) and a hockey game at the Big House airing concurrently creates a real conflict both for TV viewers and for the university itself. I'm also unsure if a Winter Classic, if not against a traditional eastern/great lakes team, could hope to match the record the Big Chill set. It would be a bit depressing putting the thing on in the country's biggest stadium and then not selling it out.

What Comerica lacks in size and je ne sais quoi it more than makes up for in ease and, this is crucial, location. Getting anywhere in Metro Detroit during the winter is a chore, but going downtown is still a significantly easier drive for many people than going to Ann Arbor. Granted, it looks likely that commuter rail will be in place by then and that would serve a lot of people in the Wings western Wayne heartland, but that's still cutting off a lot of fans.

 

[Fugu]

The problem is the odds of Michigan playing in a bowl game on New Year's Day are high (all it takes is a top 5 finish in the Big Ten) and a hockey game at the Big House airing concurrently creates a real conflict both for TV viewers and for the university itself. I'm also unsure if a Winter Classic, if not against a traditional eastern/great lakes team, could hope to match the record the Big Chill set. It would be a bit depressing putting the thing on in the country's biggest stadium and then not selling it out.

What Comerica lacks in size and je ne sais quoi it more than makes up for in ease and, this is crucial, location. Getting anywhere in Metro Detroit during the winter is a chore, but going downtown is still a significantly easier drive for many people than going to Ann Arbor. Granted, it looks likely that commuter rail will be in place by then and that would serve a lot of people in the Wings western Wayne heartland, but that's still cutting off a lot of fans.

Then where do they get 100K+ people to show up for all those football games? I gather all those UofM alums are scattered well in and among the Wings fan base in metro Detroit. In fact, a few of them infest our very board.

For any Canadians coming over, they'd just catch I-94. It's a straight shot out from Detroit to AA.

 

[sh724]

During the Blues game earlier Darren Pang said the BoG have discussed stl being in one and he expects the Blues to be in one within the next 4 years. Granted I do not know how accurate that is but I really hope it is true.

I think a game on the national mall would be great, they probably wont bc there really wont be any seating but I still think it would be great to do.

 

[saskriders]

St Louis at Minnesota in these

(white one)

(green one)