CenterIce 83 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4270968 Might have a double header. Edited June 19, 2009 by CenterIce Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-TownWing 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 Good on one hand because Canadian teams deserve it and really don't stand much of a chance without doing a second game, since they're murder on US ratings. Bad on the other because they're beginning the inevitable watering down of a special event. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
egroen 384 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 Good on one hand because Canadian teams deserve it and really don't stand much of a chance without doing a second game, since they're murder on US ratings. Bad on the other because they're beginning the inevitable watering down of a special event. Describes my mixed feelings precisely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 The Winter Classic is the one thing that the nhl seems to have gotten completely right, and now they're going to ruin that too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drwscc 212 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 Next season, it will be all 30 teams playing outdoor games, 3 per day on the first week of the new year. I bet you can't wait for the Carolina/Columbus game! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
55fan 5,133 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 One East, one West. With the difference in time zones, it works. People may not watch both, but we who are die-hard hockey people will. Given that New Years' Day is so full of football, 2 games allow the average couch potato to check out "his" team in a bowl game and randomly flip through channels for the rest of the day and hopefully hit on hockey. Works for me. If it were 2 games in either the East or West, it would not be a good idea. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DatsyukownzU13 1 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 It would have been nice to see Boston-Montreal at Fenway, but I figured the NHL would have to force more Ovechkin/Crosby/Malkin down our throats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 And let the decline begin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dimaline312000 51 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 One Winter Classic per season please. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoe 165 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 Calgary at night outside in January brrrrrrr Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 One Winter Classic per season please. Exactly. It's not a "Classic" when it becomes old hat. But they're going to try and give every team one, which is a huge, major mistake. It's like they want the equivalent of a Superbowl (for hockey) event, but will eventually hand it to really uninteresting teams, which will make the whole concept fail. If they wanted to get some Canadian teams in on the action, they should've had something like Montreal vs. Boston or Toronto vs. New York. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) I wonder if they're consciously trying to make this into a Thanksgiving-like tradition of Football, except obviously for hockey, and are currently in the process of gauging how fans will react to having more than one game per day. If this ends up being the case five or six years from now, I'm not presently sure how I would feel about this as it will take the novelty away from a single game per year, but I do like the idea of grilling up some food on a snowy day and watching nonstop hockey from noon to 10 and entertaining every new years day. Edited June 19, 2009 by Echolalia Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
55fan 5,133 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 I wonder if they're consciously trying to make this into a Thanksgiving-like tradition of Football, except obviously for hockey, and are currently in the process of gauging how fans will react to having more than one game per day. If this ends up being the case five or six years from now, I'm not presently sure how I would feel about this as it will take the novelty away from a single game per year, but I do like the idea of grilling up some food on a snowy day and watching nonstop hockey from noon to 10 and entertaining every new years day. I think you may be on to something. I hope they don't try, as VM1138 said, giving one game to every team. The sadist in me would like to see the Panthers or Yotes have to go to Edmonton and play outdoors, but how dull would those games be? If they are going to do this, it should be 2 teams that are really good in an area that is reliable to produce hockey-friendly weather conditions. If they want to have an Eastern game and a Western game double-header, that's ok with me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trapt1307 81 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) Stupid. They're going to overdue it. Edited June 19, 2009 by Trapt1307 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
55fan 5,133 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 Stupid. They're going to overdue it. If it's overdue, how can it be stupid? Personally, I like having a Hockey Day (like Thanksgiving is Football Day). I agree it's about time they did something like this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theophany 110 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 The Winter Classic will not top last years until there's another Wings/Hawks game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtuhockey7 23 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 So how does this work out for Ty Conklin? Go to a team playing the first game and then sign a contract, hop on a jet, and go north of the border for round 2? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cern 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 I'm probably going to be in Calgary for the next year, so this is pretty sweet news for me :X Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakKy 58 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) Could do something along the lines of a Canadian game and an American game. As it stands now the american games have been great draws among US and Canadian viewers alike so that game won't suffer at all. As for the Canadian game I really doubt HNIC Broadcasts of Ottawa vs. Montreal brings in many US viewers as it is so it's not goign to change much... besides, Canada already has 'Hockey Day in Canada', where the CBC does a triple header of all Canadian match-ups and it is a great ratings success in Canada (of course). Anything to help Hockey right? Detroit needs the cap to go up! Edited June 19, 2009 by BlakKy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SDavis35 140 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 I don't see how it would work... How is Conklin going to be in two places at once? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cern 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) Could do something along the lines of a Canadian game and an American game. As it stands now the american games have been great draws among US and Canadian viewers alike so that game won't suffer at all. As for the Canadian game I really doubt HNIC Broadcasts of Ottawa vs. Montreal brings in many US viewers as it is so it's not goign to change much... besides, Canada already has 'Hockey Day in Canada', where the CBC does a triple header of all Canadian match-ups and it is a great ratings success in Canada (of course). Anything to help Hockey right? Detroit needs the cap to go up! There's nothing noteworthy at all about Hockey Day in Canada, though. It's just like every other session of HNIC except they tack on a matinee game in front of it, if they didn't explicitly tell you it was HDiC you'd never know it was anything special. Having an outdoor game as part of HDiC would be a huge draw. Edited June 19, 2009 by Cern Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlakKy 58 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 There's nothing noteworthy at all about Hockey Day in Canada, though. It's just like every other session of HNIC except they tack on a matinee game in front of it, if they didn't explicitly tell you it was HDiC you'd never know it was anything special. Having an outdoor game as part of HDiC would be a huge draw. If the league was willing to change the schedule to accommodate HDiC on New Years, make one of the Canadian games an outdoor game and then also play an American outdoor game would that be cool? We could stop referring to a specific game as 'The Winter Classic', we could just start calling the entire days worth of events the winter classic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cern 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) If the league was willing to change the schedule to accommodate HDiC on New Years, make one of the Canadian games an outdoor game and then also play an American outdoor game would that be cool? We could stop referring to a specific game as 'The Winter Classic', we could just start calling the entire days worth of events the winter classic. I think you'd be trying to fit too many games into too few TV time slots if you tried competing HDiC directly with the Winter Classic. I'm tempted to say keep HDiC put, but include an outdoor game as a continuation of the Heritage Classic. The issue with that is there's ultimately only six teams to draw from if it's going to be kept exclusively between Canadian teams, which dosen't offer a whole lot of options. Edited June 19, 2009 by Cern Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CenterIce 83 Report post Posted June 21, 2009 NHLPA might not be approving the second classic game. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4274905 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted June 21, 2009 NHLPA might not be approving the second classic game. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4274905 I agree with his points, but I'm curious as to what they have to do with Union-related issues? His points are basically what we've been saying, it's watering down the event and causing broadcasting issues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
