Winter Classic a Terrible Event

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tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
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I'm not sick of Crosby/Ovechkin, Pens/Caps or the Winter Classic. Don't really understand the kvetching, to tell you the truth.

Pens/Caps was one of the better rivalries in the 1990s and they played some classic playoff series. Both teams were terrible for a few years and got back-to-back 1st overall picks, each choosing a generational-type player. Those players are now 1/2 in the league and the teams have been 1/2 in the East the past couple years. Why would you NOT want them battling at center stage? Some of their matchups have been unreal, ex the double-hat-trick game. 24/7 was a great piece of exposure for the league, the Winter Classic makes sense as a centerpiece event, and it was the right matchup for the occasion.

Enough with the naysaying already. Wait till the league REALLY screws something up so your complaints can have some weight to them.
 

Tom ServoMST3K

In search of a Steinbach Hero
Nov 2, 2010
27,751
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What's your excuse?
I'm not sick of Crosby/Ovechkin, Pens/Caps or the Winter Classic. Don't really understand the kvetching, to tell you the truth.

Pens/Caps was one of the better rivalries in the 1990s and they played some classic playoff series. Both teams were terrible for a few years and got back-to-back 1st overall picks, each choosing a generational-type player. Those players are now 1/2 in the league and the teams have been 1/2 in the East the past couple years. Why would you NOT want them battling at center stage? Some of their matchups have been unreal, ex the double-hat-trick game. 24/7 was a great piece of exposure for the league, the Winter Classic makes sense as a centerpiece event, and it was the right matchup for the occasion.

Enough with the naysaying already. Wait till the league REALLY screws something up so your complaints can have some weight to them.

sorry i would take stamkos over ovi any day ovi is at best the 3rd player

(My fav player is iggy) i dont like ovi or crosby but crosby is by far the best

(Probably gonna get deleted for OT:naughty:)
 

Crazy_Ike

Cookin' with fire.
Mar 29, 2005
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I'm not sick of Crosby/Ovechkin, Pens/Caps or the Winter Classic. Don't really understand the kvetching, to tell you the truth.

Pens/Caps was one of the better rivalries in the 1990s and they played some classic playoff series. Both teams were terrible for a few years and got back-to-back 1st overall picks, each choosing a generational-type player. Those players are now 1/2 in the league and the teams have been 1/2 in the East the past couple years. Why would you NOT want them battling at center stage? Some of their matchups have been unreal, ex the double-hat-trick game. 24/7 was a great piece of exposure for the league, the Winter Classic makes sense as a centerpiece event, and it was the right matchup for the occasion.

Enough with the naysaying already. Wait till the league REALLY screws something up so your complaints can have some weight to them.

No kidding. This was an absolutely brutal thread and the OP should be embarrassed. In fact, it is embarrassing to ME to see "Winter Classic a Terrible Event" as one of the top threads of the business board.

Hopefully it gets locked and falls into the pit of history to be forgotten soon.
 

cbcwpg

Registered User
May 18, 2010
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Between the Pipes
No kidding. This was an absolutely brutal thread and the OP should be embarrassed. In fact, it is embarrassing to ME to see "Winter Classic a Terrible Event" as one of the top threads of the business board.

Hopefully it gets locked and falls into the pit of history to be forgotten soon.

Agreed. I don't know how we get a thread with this much negativity about a single game.

If you have a business case for why the NHL shouldn't hold the WC then say it, but if you just don't like the WC for personal reasons, then don't go. I didn't go, I never will go, but its still a huge money maker for the NHL. From a business standpoint, it is a success.
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
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Have you seen how many threads there are criticizing the southern teams and the NHL's last few rounds of expansion? People are already complaining about the NHL's major screw-ups.

Are you seriously going to bring that into this thread?

Better question: is there anything else you post about on this forum?
 

Dado

Guest
Most nights, I couldn't give two ***** about 90% of the games being played. That's just the plain reality of the regular season in a league with too damn teams.

That one of the many games I don't care about happens to be an outdoor "spectacle" shouldn't cause me any extra grief. At best, I might be pleasantly surprised, at worst it's just another ignorable, forgettable game.

I really don't see the point in getting worked up over it, that's for sure...if other people enjoyed it, let them have their enjoyment and positive memories.
 

Jeffrey93

Registered User
Nov 7, 2007
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Most nights, I couldn't give two ***** about 90% of the games being played. That's just the plain reality of the regular season in a league with too damn teams.

That one of the many games I don't care about happens to be an outdoor "spectacle" shouldn't cause me any extra grief. At best, I might be pleasantly surprised, at worst it's just another ignorable, forgettable game.

I really don't see the point in getting worked up over it, that's for sure...if other people enjoyed it, let them have their enjoyment and positive memories.

You like hockey right??
 

Jeffrey93

Registered User
Nov 7, 2007
4,335
46
Yep.

And I wish the NHL had more of it worth watching. Too many poor teams, too many meaningless games.

How are any games meaningless? If you're a hockey fan that shouldn't matter all that much anyway. Who cares if it has a big impact on the standings...it's the best hockey in the world. Please explain what makes a game 'meaningless' in the NHL. Thanks.

Poor teams....like strapped for cash?
 

ThisYearsModel

Registered User
Mar 4, 2004
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First, let me begin by saying that i am definitely swimming against the current here. Given all the media hype and NHL spin, I must say i certainly expect a bit of backlash from this post.

I find the event terrible, especially for a real game that matters for real points. The game in Pittsburgh had environmental variables that should never play a role in the outcome in an NHL game that matters for points. Rain? They played through rain? There isn't an outdoor rink in all of Canada that would see players skating in rain, and the NHL game itself has no semblance to anything you would see in any outdoor rink in Canada. Edmonton was another example of an unreal situation presented to the public as a heritage game, when in fact most outdoor rinks are empty at -30 degrees celcius. Does anyone recall the heritage game in Las Vegas at temperatures of +35 degrees celcius?

The whole thing is a sham that is as artificial as the ice they are skating on.

Another point to be made is about the players themselves. I doubt seriously seriously doubt that any of those players have skated on outdoor ice since they reached AAA hockey. These players are the best of the best, and have had everything catered for them, including the venues they play. I would bet that more than one of those players playing are thinking that this is just a stupid event that should never happen. But Bettemen and the NHL machine won't let anyone speak out against it. What would happen if a player is injured due to weather? Say a bad rut that causes a serious knee injury because of less than ideal ice. Sure it happens in indoor rinks, but if an environmental factor exacerbated the poor ice conditions, the NHLPA would be screaming about its members having to play in less than ideal conditions.

Of course the event itself should happen. it makes a lot of money. But the game that should be played outdoors is the NHL all star game, a game that doesn't matter. Having so much on the line (points in the standings) for a side show doesn't seem fair to the fans, to the players or to the League itself. It makes a mockery of the game.

It needs to be a regular season game or forget it.
 

Quasimoto

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Feb 10, 2010
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I went all the way from Albuquerque to the game, sickest **** eva! viewing kinda sucks if your don't have higher up seats...
 

Fidel Astro

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Aug 26, 2010
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That's a really sad commentary on your worldview.

Not really. If you think about it, this is the most important issue in hockey right now. There are a number of teams struggling financially in the NHL, some of whom are attracting minor league attendance numbers. There is an unprecedented amount of attention being paid to these teams' futures in the media, and there is an increased amount of pressure on the NHL to put another team in Canada, either through relocation or expansion.

Look at the overwhelming amount of posts on the Phoenix thread. It's insane. I don't think anything else compares as far as "major hockey debate of the year." While some of these other threads are not initially about this issue, it's not unreasonable that elements of that debate spread over into different discussions.... especially when we're talking about marketing the sport to Americans, which is what a lot of Winter Classic discussion has revolved around.
 

Fidel Astro

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Aug 26, 2010
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The Winter Classic has n-o-t-h-i-n-g to do with that issue. There's no reason to derail another thread with this.

Sure it does. The Winter Classic is a blatant attempt to attract new American fans to the sport, while neglecting the league's traditional base.

A game where the announcers treat the audience like a bunch of morons and have to explain common-sense details (i.e. "C is for Captain") is obviously not intended for people who have grown up with the game. [mod edit: deleted]
 
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Shootmaster_44

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Sep 10, 2005
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Sure it does. The Winter Classic is a blatant attempt to attract new American fans to the sport, while neglecting the league's traditional base.

So? I'm all for the NHL growing the fanbase. I'm sure you would be hard pressed to find a NHL fan that wouldn't want the league to be as popular as the NFL in the US. I personally would love to see all 30 teams in their current locations to have all 41 home games sold out or very, very close to it. I'd love to see the NHL on three different networks nationally in the US. I'd love to see ESPN dedicate an entire day to the NHL.

How do you do this? You get people hooked on hockey with events like this. Why does the NFL promote the heck out of the Super Bowl? The CFL, Grey Cup? The NBA, the All-Star Game? Simple, they want to attract people who wouldn't normally watch the game and then get hooked on it. Unfortunately, with the playoffs being Best of 7 affairs, you simply cannot do it with the Stanley Cup Finals. People might tune into one super hyped event, but to assume they would do it 4 to 7 times in a two week span is unrealistic. Heck, I'm a big hockey fan and I don't usually care about the playoffs once the Kings are out. So to assume people who aren't hockey fans to tune into the Stanley Cup Finals is absurd.

Yes, the NHL would love it if the Stanley Cup was the marquee television event of the season in the US. But it simply isn't. So they could either hype the heck out of the All-Star Game which is a poor representation of actual NHL hockey or they do this.

In addition, the Winter Classic allows the NHL to raise commercial prices as it does cause a bit of an increase in viewership. The NHL would love to be able to charge Super Bowl prices, but the league is nowhere on this level.

What it sounds like to me Fidel, is you would be happy that the NHL rank somewhere around the WNBA or MLS in the US sports scene. Judging by where you live I'd think your views are tainted by the hope that US interest will die and Winnipeg will get another NHL team. I'm not against Winnipeg getting a team, but I do think teams moving reflects badly on the league. I'd rather see 30 strong NHL teams in their current markets and then if Winnipeg/Quebec City/Portland/Mexico City etc. want a team apply to the NHL for an expansion team.
 

Fidel Astro

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What it sounds like to me Fidel, is you would be happy that the NHL rank somewhere around the WNBA or MLS in the US sports scene. Judging by where you live I'd think your views are tainted by the hope that US interest will die and Winnipeg will get another NHL team. I'm not against Winnipeg getting a team, but I do think teams moving reflects badly on the league. I'd rather see 30 strong NHL teams in their current markets and then if Winnipeg/Quebec City/Portland/Mexico City etc. want a team apply to the NHL for an expansion team.

The NHL already does rank hideously low in the US sports scene. I just feel that the league, and many of its teams, have been around long enough and have been fairly prominent (considered as one of the "big four" sports) that people have had ample opportunity to become interested. Going overboard with promoting some regular-season game is not going to change the fact that people in certain regions are just straight-up not interested in hockey.

I'm not hoping interest is going to die in certain parts of the US -- it already has, or even more accurately, it was never there in first place. I just think the NHL might be wasting its efforts. Sure, they got an unusual (outdoor) game televised with a lot of hype, but did those big TV numbers translate to any increased attendance in the US trouble spots? Did large numbers of people in, say, Phoenix, suddenly realize "hey, hockey is awesome!" and then start showing up to local games?
 

Mwd711

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Jan 20, 2006
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The NHL already does rank hideously low in the US sports scene. I just feel that the league, and many of its teams, have been around long enough and have been fairly prominent (considered as one of the "big four" sports) that people have had ample opportunity to become interested. Going overboard with promoting some regular-season game is not going to change the fact that people in certain regions are just straight-up not interested in hockey.

I'm not hoping interest is going to die in certain parts of the US -- it already has, or even more accurately, it was never there in first place. I just think the NHL might be wasting its efforts. Sure, they got an unusual (outdoor) game televised with a lot of hype, but did those big TV numbers translate to any increased attendance in the US trouble spots? Did large numbers of people in, say, Phoenix, suddenly realize "hey, hockey is awesome!" and then start showing up to local games?

It has helped the NHL tremendously when it comes to marketing and attention. For one its attracted many more corporate sponsorships. The Winter Classic was completely sold out well in advance when it came to television advertising. It's been a great success at raising the league's profile, which is the whole point of it in the first place. I don't think it's there to necessarily help franchises as a whole. It's purpose is to raise the league's profile and attract sponsors, and it has certainly succeeded at doing that.
 

barneyg

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Apr 22, 2007
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The NHL already does rank hideously low in the US sports scene. I just feel that the league, and many of its teams, have been around long enough and have been fairly prominent (considered as one of the "big four" sports) that people have had ample opportunity to become interested. Going overboard with promoting some regular-season game is not going to change the fact that people in certain regions are just straight-up not interested in hockey.

I'm not hoping interest is going to die in certain parts of the US -- it already has, or even more accurately, it was never there in first place. I just think the NHL might be wasting its efforts. Sure, they got an unusual (outdoor) game televised with a lot of hype, but did those big TV numbers translate to any increased attendance in the US trouble spots? Did large numbers of people in, say, Phoenix, suddenly realize "hey, hockey is awesome!" and then start showing up to local games?

I'm pretty sure it's not all about "trouble spots". The Winter Classic is as much about improving the NHL's visibility in markets like Philly, DC, Pittsburgh and NYC as it is about trying to make it a league that's recognized all across the US.

If you're not convinced, take a look at the list of Sunday afternoon games broadcast by NBC over the past 3 seasons. You wouldn't find those Flyers/Rangers games all over the place if the point was to save the Coyotes or Thrashers.
 
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