Winter Classic 2010 - Rose Bowl or Vegas Strip?

[VM1138 1,921]

I was there when I was younger and from what I recall there is no room on the actual strip. In one of the slum areas there might be the space needed.

Bad, bad, bad Bettman.

[betterREDthandead 58]

IT dosen't offend me, it just tells me you actually know jack s*** about hockey if you need to resort to casual xenophobia to get your point across. That IS the essence of outdoor hockey whether you like it or not, to say anything otherwise is a laughable display of ignorance to the game. I must say that I would never have thought of describing downtown Buffalo or Chicago as 'godforsaken woods' but f***, the WC could be in Nunavut and you'd probably still be able to scrape together more local interest than you would in someplace like Phoenix. You're talking about putting a WINTER Classic game in an area that for all intents and purposes has no winter and that has such little interest in what hockey does exist there that a freaking Stanley Cup win couldn't even fill the parking lot, let alone justify a victory parade. If winning the game's top prize - the oldest, most famous trophy in North American sports - can't get people in the South to give a s***, how is playing a single regular season game on the worst quality ice the NHL will have ever known going to do it?

If you really want to masturbate vigorously to the idea of Southern teams playing in the WC, it should be with them as the visiting team playing in a manner appealing to the vintage spin of the event. Something like Carolina vs. Boston in a Battle of New England rematch at Fenway with one-off Whalers jerseys. You appeal to the nostalgia of the WC, you involve a famed team in a historic setting, and you incorporate whatever Southern hockey market actually exists. Everyone wins.

9.5/10, would rage again.

You're the one with the knee-jerk reaction that they don't deserve to have a hockey team in the south, and I'm the xenophobic one?

[TheOwl 77]

I'd beat lots of money The Coyotes will be moved to Vegas in the next 3 seasons. It's the perfect town for hockey.

[Cern 0]

You're the one with the knee-jerk reaction that they don't deserve to have a hockey team in the south, and I'm the xenophobic one?

You're the one describing the region that's keeping the league alive and the heartland of the sport YOU'RE following as 'podunk-ass' and 'godforsaken' (which again dosen't even make sense, I'm pretty damn sure there are big cities up North too) , so no; you're xenophobic AND an idiot.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Cern

[b.shanafan14 733]

Both terrible ideas, but right in Bettman's wheel-house. "California or Vegas?! Sure! Can it be the Ducks vs. the Kings? Please oh please let me have it in California! Warm weahter? Who cares, science has come far enough to build an icerink outdoors in 70 degrees, and the s***ty ice will give the true indoor feel for the two teams".... Boston vs. Montreal at Fenway is the best I've heard so far, two more original six teams, throw Canada a bone, historic venue, reemerging rivalry. Done.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Can I ask why Vegas would be so dumb?

- Today it is supposed to be about 55 degrees at 7 PM in Vegas. The average January high is 57 and the average low is 37. Temperature-wise, it's workable, especially with the big-ass refrigeration truck.

- I guarantee you the place would be full. That's not even a question. Jam-packed. It's frikkin' Vegas.

- I guarantee you the ratings would be good, though largely dependent on the teams that play. No doubt the NHL would pick two teams that were good the previous year.

This knee-jerk anti-Bettman reaction to the Vegas idea is nothing but elitist hockey snobbery. HOCKEY IN THE DESERT OH NOES. And *gasp* the Ducks might be involved. OH NOES NOT ANAHEIM THERE NOT HOCKEY FANS. Sorry it offends everyone's sensibilities that outdoor hockey should be about frozen ponds in minus 20 degree weather in some godforsaken woods or in some podunk-ass town in northern Manitoba. The NHL could use a good spectacle, and what better place for a spectacle than Las Vegas?

Pasadena? Well, as someone already pointed out, the Rose Bowl tends to be occupied on that day, so don't even worry about it.

HEY!

There's no room for logic in knee-jerk reactions!

Some people think that putting one show-case game in a maximum publicity/visibility location is going to rock the very foundations of this beloved game.

Hey NHL- do it if it increases interest and visibility for the NHL. Playing a game on Las Vegas Boulevard would make for an amazing spectical that can only HELP the NHL.

If putting a team in Vegas means there's a sell out every night DO IT. Pull a struggling team out of Pheonix or whatever and stick them in a place where people are packed into stadiums to watch AAA and AA hockey games.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

I'd beat lots of money The Coyotes will be moved to Vegas in the next 3 seasons. It's the perfect town for hockey.

It actually is. Anyone who thinks they'd struggle to sell NHL games out in Vegas is insane. Sporting events in Vegas don't struggle for spectators.

[sjradio 0]

Leave it to the NHL to absolutely f**king blow any momentum after what was and will be the best Winter Classic ever.

My list of future WC sites, and who the two teams should be

Boston - Fenway Park - Bruins vs. Canadiens.

New York - Yankee Stadium - Rangers vs. Devils or Islanders

Minneapolis/St. Paul - TCF Bank Stadium - Wild vs. Stars or Avalanche

Denver - Coors Field - Avs vs. Canucks

Ann Arbor - Michigan Stadium - Wings vs. Leafs

St. Louis - Busch Stadium - Blues vs. Hawks

University Park, PA - Beaver Stadium - Flyers vs. Devils

[sjradio 0]

I should add one comment that seems to have been lost in this whole discussion,

The point of the Winter Classic is to take the game back to its roots, playing a game outside on a frozen pond in the dead of winter, it's where a lot of players got their start in playing the game. On a pond, in the cold, in January, in the snow. with those retro jersey's

That's what the "WINTER CLASSIC" is supposed to be.

Having a game in Vegas doesn't go with that "Winter Classic" theme.

Now I am not saying that Vegas should never get the game, I am saying that it should wait.

The Winter Classic has only been played twice, it's still new. Let the game get established in the places that should be hosting an outdoor game.

After the game has been established for 10 years or so, then I could see the NHL attempt to "reinvent" the Winter Classic, that would make the Vegas event a special noteworthy game.

Let's make sure the "Winter" part of the "Winter Classic" still means something.

[betterREDthandead 58]

You're the one describing the region that's keeping the league alive and the heartland of the sport YOU'RE following as 'podunk-ass' and 'godforsaken' (which again dosen't even make sense, I'm pretty damn sure there are big cities up North too) , so no; you're xenophobic AND an idiot.

Only if Swift Current qualifies as a "big city". Oh, and if you're going to call me an idiot, spell things correctly.

The point of the Winter Classic is to take the game back to its roots, playing a game outside on a frozen pond in the dead of winter, it's where a lot of players got their start in playing the game.

Let's be honest with ourselves, the point of the Winter Classic is not nostalgia. That's fun and all with the throwback jerseys, but it's not the main thing. It's about making money for the league and increasing exposure to a wider audience. It's about giving the league a marquee event on a marquee day, something it didn't have before. I don't disagree that the league should take it slow and not get too far ahead of itself - my biggest worry is that they'll try and kill the goose and have like two or three of these each year. Vegas in 2010 seems like getting ahead of itself - I think the best way to go is a Bruins-Rangers or Isles-Rangers game in New York next year. In a couple years, though, Vegas would be a phenomenal venue.