Can the Winter Classic and the Heritage Classic co-exist?

[bacon25]

What conclusions would be reasonable to draw if the US TV ratings for the game aren't good?

If the ratings are not good than the WC will most likely be scrapped. The point of the game is for hockey to be marketed to a wider US audience. The HC is more for the culture of the game at least that is my opinion on the two. The NHL could try and mold the two together but I don't think that is what Bettman wants.

 

[MAROONSRoad]

^ There is no doubt the Winter Classic is aimed at the casual, non-hockey, sports fan in USA. I was just watching the NBC broadcast and they treat the audience as if they have no clue about hockey. For example, they explained to the audience that the "C" on Crosby's jersey indicates that he is the captain of the team.

GHOST

 

[29dryden29]

^ There is no doubt the Winter Classic is aimed at the casual, non-hockey, sports fan in USA. I was just watching the NBC broadcast and they treat the audience as if they have no clue about hockey. For example, they explained to the audience that the "C" on Crosby's jersey indicates that he is the captain of the team.

GHOST

I am glad they did that I would have thought it was because he was a centre lol. That is pretty sad actually.

 

[Gnashville]

^ There is no doubt the Winter Classic is aimed at the casual, non-hockey, sports fan in USA. I was just watching the NBC broadcast and they treat the audience as if they have no clue about hockey. For example, they explained to the audience that the "C" on Crosby's jersey indicates that he is the captain of the team.

GHOST

So your saying you would rather the NHL/NBC leave it's new fans/veiwers clueless to the rules and traditions of hockey? What a great way to build viewership. Then again you seem to want hockey to fail completely in the US.

I have heard the same thing about the Stars and "C" on NFL jerseys BTW.

 

[Wham City]

No different from how NA broadcasters explain the World Cup in Canada and US, a lot of casual fans or fans with a passing interest in soccer have to be pandered to. It is what is, it's one game, it's a spectacle and gives the NHL some press/exposure at a time of the year when it traditionally gets very little.

 

[bacon25]

No different from how NA broadcasters explain the World Cup in Canada and US, a lot of casual fans or fans with a passing interest in soccer have to be pandered to. It is what is, it's one game, it's a spectacle and gives the NHL some press/exposure at a time of the year when it traditionally gets very little.

I am just glad that they cleared up what an Ovechtrick was, I had the impression that an Ovechtrick was someone who played horrible for multiple games while being ridiculously overpaid. Kovalchuk is good at them and so is Kessel.

 

[RedWingsNow*]

Burnside has a point.
Rainy hockey games are going to looks stupid compared to the Canadian game,

 

[BigT2002]

Well if this is any relevance to what to expect with a Southern or Far West Coast game....its pretty much scraped at this point then. Not only the rain being a concern but the constant moaning of the difference between temps on the ice and the stands should be enough then.

 

[bacon25]

More Burnside on the WC, which begs the question: If we say it is a Winter Classic does it make it so?


http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/winterclassic11/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=5980400

 

[Confucius]

^ There is no doubt the Winter Classic is aimed at the casual, non-hockey, sports fan in USA. I was just watching the NBC broadcast and they treat the audience as if they have no clue about hockey. For example, they explained to the audience that the "C" on Crosby's jersey indicates that he is the captain of the team.

GHOST

 

[digmor crusher]

I didn't watch the Winter Classic for 2 reasons.

First, not really a fan of Pittsburgh or Washington, am also getting sick of the "forced " rivarly between Crosby and Ovie. By forced I mean the US media doing their usual crapola.

Secondly, the hype. Again the US media hyping this game like its the second coming, typical NFL hype where the hype is more important than the game.

 

[razorsedge]

Whats wrong with attracting fans?

Nothing. Just it should be the sport itself that attracts the fans, obviously. It was just really frustrating watching the stupid camera angles and listening to the commentators who sounded as if they had a pre-school audience.

 

[Seattle Totems]

I still don't understand the appeal of a hockey game played in Heinz Field at night in the rain in January. What was the point of that? The first few Winter Classics had great optics. You had fabled old stadiums and ballparks in picturesque winter settings. You could excuse the bad ice and terrible game play. This classic had nothing memorable to look at.

 

[GKJ]

I didn't watch the Winter Classic for 2 reasons.

First, not really a fan of Pittsburgh or Washington, am also getting sick of the "forced " rivarly between Crosby and Ovie. By forced I mean the US media doing their usual crapola.

Secondly, the hype. Again the US media hyping this game like its the second coming, typical NFL hype where the hype is more important than the game.

It's not a forced rivalry. With most other teams, Crosby/Ovechkin would be a forced rivalry. With Penguins/Capitals, it's another chapter to an already lengthy rivalry.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I still don't understand the appeal of a hockey game played in Heinz Field at night in the rain in January. What was the point of that? The first few Winter Classics had great optics. You had fabled old stadiums and ballparks in picturesque winter settings. You could excuse the bad ice and terrible game play. This classic had nothing memorable to look at.

What was so picturesque about Buffalo? And I think we'll remember this as the first one that was at night, which will probably become the norm after 2012 (I think they will play that at 4 eastern and lead it into Sunday Night Football if it stays on NBC)

 

[saskganesh]

What was so picturesque about Buffalo?

snowglobe

 

[Fidel Astro]

^ There is no doubt the Winter Classic is aimed at the casual, non-hockey, sports fan in USA. I was just watching the NBC broadcast and they treat the audience as if they have no clue about hockey. For example, they explained to the audience that the "C" on Crosby's jersey indicates that he is the captain of the team.

I didn't see the game, but I can't believe that actually happened. That's absolutely ridiculous.

Also, a lot of people are talking about it raining during the game!?! What the hell?

 

[Drake1588]

I don't understand why they can't co-exist. Have the Winter Classic as a US-centric marketing bonanza every New Year's Day, and have the Heritage Classic as the signature event on the day/night of every year's Hockey Day in Canada, which has become an annual celebration of the game at its roots in Canada. Perfect.

Dilution? Too often? How can any hockey fans have an issue with NHL players playing a game that matters outside in front of a whole mess of people? It sells itself.

 

[Mathradio]

It's not a forced rivalry. With most other teams, Crosby/Ovechkin would be a forced rivalry. With Penguins/Capitals, it's another chapter to an already lengthy rivalry.

Crosby/Ovechkin just added fuel to the fire.

A forced rivalry would be Canadiens/Blues, for instance. (In that case the root of that rivalry would be Halak/Price.)

 

[cbcwpg]

IMO the HC and the WC can co-exist because I see them a seperate events and in no way does one take away from the other, but having said that, I see the Heritage Classic continuing to go on for as long as the NHL plays it ( because in Canada we support all things hockey ) but I can see the Winter Classic dying if the NHL isn't careful about over-playing it.

 

[Brodie]

I didn't see the game, but I can't believe that actually happened. That's absolutely ridiculous.

Doc tried to make it sound like something other than what it was... "THAT C, WHICH STANDS FOR CAPTAIN, WHICH HE HAS EARNED THROUGH HIS AMAZING LEADERSHIP"

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

In the same article he mentioned the first heritage classic was played 5 years before the first winter classic and yet calls the heritage classic a cheap ripoff of the Winter Classic

am i the only one confused

 

[kdb209]

In the same article he mentioned the first heritage classic was played 5 years before the first winter classic and yet calls the heritage classic a cheap ripoff of the Winter Classic

am i the only one confused

Just like the Seven Samurai is nothing more than a ripoff pre-make of The Magnificent Seven - and both of them are just cheap ripoff pre-makes of Battle Beyond the Stars (John-Boy in Space).

 

[Jeffrey93]

Do the majority of Americans even know about the Heritage Classic?

Edit: Obviously they wouldn't....I meant to say 'majority of American NHL fans'.

 

[Jeffrey93]

^ There is no doubt the Winter Classic is aimed at the casual, non-hockey, sports fan in USA. I was just watching the NBC broadcast and they treat the audience as if they have no clue about hockey. For example, they explained to the audience that the "C" on Crosby's jersey indicates that he is the captain of the team.

GHOST

That's what bugs me about this stuff. I don't mind some rules and hockey terms being explained....but when stuff like that starts getting explained it just insults all the actual hockey fans watching.

That's the NHL's MO though....create new fans by dumping all over your existing ones. I guess we have nobody to blame but ourselves though...since we keep taking it.