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NHL’s Winter Classic a rousing success
By Daniel Dullum January 1, 2008 |
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It had been too long since the National Hockey League revived a great idea from November 2003, when the publicity-challenged operation staged an outdoor regular season game at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium between the hometown Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. That night, billed as the Heritage Classic, the Habs defeated Edmonton 4-3 in front of 57,167 frozen fans; the temperature was minus 2-degrees. The NHL tried it again on New Year’s Day, with national television audiences tuning in to the happenings at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo on NBC in the states and CBC north of the border. Competing against lower-tier college football bowl games on Fox, ABC and CBS, ratings might not be the best, but it was a strong effort for quality alternative sports programming that deserves some credit. Having a tight game won 2-1 in an overtime shootout by Pittsburgh over Buffalo on a goal by Sidney Crosby, the Penguins’ rising young superstar, didn’t hurt either. And NBC was serious enough about the production that Bob Costas was brought in to anchor the broadcast. His conversations with intermission analyst Mike Milbury were worth tuning in for alone, but the game itself was more than a bonus. The 2003 game was conceived as a gimmick intended as homage to the sport’s outdoor roots. Every player in the NHL has, at some point in their lives, played on outdoor rinks before advancing to indoor venues as they reached higher levels of play. The NHL needed an extra reason for fans to eschew the bowl games and watch a regular season hockey game on Jan. 1, and the outdoor “Winter Classic” provided it. Crosby, who often played outdoors growing up in his native Nova Scotia, was visibly thrilled at the chance to play an outdoor NHL game and said so during interviews with NBC’s Darren Pang. Players for both the Penguins and Buffalo Sabres – decked out in wonderful 1970-era throwback uniforms, powder blue with navy blue trim for the Pens, white with royal blue and gold for the Sabres – seemed to have an extra gear of energy provided by numerous ovations from the crowd of 71,217, clearly enjoying the experience. Keep in mind, the average NHL crowd on a good night ranges between 12,000 and, maybe, 20,000. Colby Armstrong, who scored the Penguins’ first goal 20 seconds into the first period on a spectacular assist by Crosby, told Pang that the opening introductions before the near-capacity crowd alone was a highlight, “something I’ll never forget.” The crowd stood, cheered and danced for most of the afternoon. One can only imagine the pre-game tailgating. There was blowing snow in the first and third periods, overcast sky conditions that probably helped the goaltenders and a herky-jerky flow to the game with numerous stoppages to repair rough spots on the makeshift ice sheet. Despite the extra appearances by the Zamboni machines, NBC’s crew, led by outstanding play-by-play man Mike Emrick, was able to find fresh angles to discuss during the game’s down time, usually with the kind of weather updates not necessary for an indoor contest. Watching the game made the viewer wish he or she were there. The temperature was around 30 degrees with some wind, which is acceptable, and the snow is what you’d expect in western New York this time of year. Seeing the players negotiate playing conditions they hadn’t faced since their pre-teen years only added to the excitement. There is certainly more opportunities to host an annual outdoor game in the future, with venues on both sides of the 49th parallel that would be most suitable. In the Bay Area, for example, a night game at Candlestick Park would work. Places like Soldier Field in Chicago, Ford Field in Detroit, Giants Stadium in New Jersey or Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, where, reportedly, putting a rink on the playing surface couldn’t possibly hurt what is recognized as the NFL’s worst playing surface. Judging by the turnout for the first two Winter Classics, the NHL is looking seriously at making it an annual event, and they should. A league that needs all the positive ink it can get can ill afford to squander an annual sure-fire winner. |
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