In other news, the NHL is considering having two Winter Classic games next season.. a double header featuring the first game at Fenway with the Bruins vs ?? and the second game out in Calgary with the Flames against another Canadian team. Scott Burnside from ESPN actually breaks this down pretty well in terms of why the NHL might do this and it makes sense in that regard. For the lazy, it's mainly because NBC wants a game they can market to the United States and Canada thinks it's unfair that once again two US teams will be highlighted in arguably the best regular season event in the NHL. So the compromise is to hold two games instead of one. What's everyone's take on doubling the number of outdoor games?
Personally, I think I have to side with Burnside on this one. While I'd gladly sit down and watch two outdoor hockey games, it just won't work out on New Year's. College bowl games are played on January 1 as well which means a lot of competition later in the day when this Canadian game would be played. If the NHL (aka Bettman) is as worried about TV ratings in the states as it appears, this second game would ultimately be a dumb decision should they choose to run with it. The lack of interest in Canadian teams in the United States is the reason why the Winter Classic is in Boston and the Flames against whomever is clearly not going to out compete the arguably more popular sport of college football. Not in America. Hockey fans would tune in, but the fringe fans probably won't and those are the fans an almost gimmicky event like this is supposed to attract.
A better solution, IMO, would be to pair up the Bruins against the Habs and keep it to one game. It's a long standing rivalry that would involve teams from both countries that could please both NBC and CBC. Yes, it would still be played in the states but you know Habs fans would make the trip if their team was involved. Then play next year's game in Canada or something.
Personally, I think I have to side with Burnside on this one. While I'd gladly sit down and watch two outdoor hockey games, it just won't work out on New Year's. College bowl games are played on January 1 as well which means a lot of competition later in the day when this Canadian game would be played. If the NHL (aka Bettman) is as worried about TV ratings in the states as it appears, this second game would ultimately be a dumb decision should they choose to run with it. The lack of interest in Canadian teams in the United States is the reason why the Winter Classic is in Boston and the Flames against whomever is clearly not going to out compete the arguably more popular sport of college football. Not in America. Hockey fans would tune in, but the fringe fans probably won't and those are the fans an almost gimmicky event like this is supposed to attract.
A better solution, IMO, would be to pair up the Bruins against the Habs and keep it to one game. It's a long standing rivalry that would involve teams from both countries that could please both NBC and CBC. Yes, it would still be played in the states but you know Habs fans would make the trip if their team was involved. Then play next year's game in Canada or something.
