Every New Year since 2008, the NHL holds the NHL Winter Classic and as each year passes, I find myself caring less and less. There are many reasons for my apathy and well..here they are.
The first and biggest reason I don't really care about the Winter Classic is because I have very little interest in watching teams on the east coast getting the game nearly every year. I love hockey and watching hockey but being a fan of a western team (The Avs obviously) I could care less if the Flyers play the Rangers, or the Penguins play the Capitals. There is no reason the Winter Classic cannot be played in cities like Minneapolis/St.Paul or here in Denver. Minneapolis/St.Paul is the biggest no-brainer. Outdoor hockey is part of the culture in the land of 10,000 lakes and could take place in a couple of place. They could play teams like Phoenix, LA, San Jose, Anaheim, or Dallas. Have the Dallas Stars come back to Minnesota and play the Wild. It will be great. As for Denver, it can be sunny and kind or warm during the day around the New Year, but you could easily have the game start at 5:00pm or 6:00pm MST and it would be dark and cold enough to play hockey at Sports Authority Field or even Coors Field since Coors isn't used during the winter. Hell, even Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado could work although it isn't in downtown Denver. Again have the Avs play a Pacific division team like LA or San Jose so they can be involved as well. I guess you can say Detroit, but in my eyes that rivalry is dead. At least the player rivalry is. Lets share the Winter Classic love and get every fan base involved.
Another problem with the game is the play in the actual game. The ice is awful, the puck is bouncy and the players have a harder time skating. This turns what would normally be a skilled battle between the Penguins and Capitals into a sloppy and ugly game. This is obviously something the NHL couldn't do much about. They cannot control the weather. Instead of an outdoor game, do what the NHL already did this year. This past Thanksgiving the NHL had a game between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. Nearly everyone had the day off and were home sitting on their couches. I was much more excited during the affair because these two teams put on an amazing display of skill and the game had an up-tempo pace. This game felt special NOT because it was held in an outdoor stadium in front of 100,000 fans but because it was a great game, plain and simple. I know that cancelling the game isn't really a solution, but if there was a way to make it so they can make the play on the ice better and not just relying on the outdoors to make your game "special" then the game would be much better. If that means moving the game indoors and making the playing surface and as a result the play on the ice much better, I would be all for that.
While there are a lot of negatives to the Winter Classic one positive that trumps all the negatives is the 24/7 series on HBO. In my honest opinion, this is the only reason that I am excited for this years Winter Classic. HBO's 24/7 series has been a huge hit for boxing and now hockey. It give you the opportunity to see an NHL team uncensored as they make their way to the big event. You get to see the teams ups and downs, all the behind the scenes locker room conversations, practices, and you get to see hockey players and coaches in a new light. You gain a new respect for these guys and what they do, something you might not gain if it weren't for this series. Coming into this year 24/7 we get to see a ton of interesting hockey personalities such as John Tortorella, Sean Avery, Chris Pronger, and many more. I cannot wait 'till this starts up soon
The Winter Classic is still in it's infancy and will get better with time, these are just some things I feel that can be addressed to make the experience more entertaining and fun to watch for everyone.
-Colorado Cross Checker.
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