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Add to FavoritesThe 2008 Winter Classic marked the first outdoor hockey game in the U.S. The Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins met up at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, to play a much publicized and anticipated game. Although the Penguins were victorious in a shootout, the game was definitely a positive for both teams as well as the league in general.
The game could be considered a great experience for both teams. Outdoor games do not happen every year. Although a couple of the players, such as Pittsburgh's Ty Conklin and Buffalo's Ryan Miller, had played in outdoor games before; this was a new experience for many players. The teams were not stressing a lot about the outcome as they would at any other time during the regular season. Instead, they expressed their excitement to have such an opportunity and were looking forward to every minute of the game.
The Winter Classic also helped the NHL in its badly lacking ratings and television coverage department. Even on a big bowl game day for college football, NBC carried the game to reach a national audience. It earned a 2.6 overnight rating and a 5 share, according to Neilsen Media Research and NBC. These ratings were the best overnight regular season ratings for an NHL game in over a decade.
This brought together fans of both teams and promoted good relations between fans. Although there was some ribbing going on between fans, it all seemed to be in good fun. Aside from tickets being open to Sabres season ticket holders and any other Sabres and Penguins fans, tickets were also held for Buffalo Bills season ticket holders and Toronto Maple Leafs ticket holders. Other fans came in from all up and down the Eastern U.S. to be a part of this once in a lifetime event. The stadium was packed and was the largest crowd to ever witness an NHL game.
The Winter Classic sold out within minutes after the tickets were put on sale. This equaled great revenue for the Ralph Wilson Stadium and will surely bolster the NHL's financial figures for the 2007-2008 season. Any tickets put on Ebay and other ticket broker sites were in great demand. Fans would spend more on this game than any other game they had ever attended.
This was a successful event in terms of merchandise sales. Player t-shirts, pucks, sweatshirts, scarves, hats, and more were sold both inside the stadium and on the Internet. Also, the NHL put a set of jerseys worn by each team during the second period up for auction on their website. Prices have ranged from around $300 to over $10,000 for Sidney Crosby's jersey. However, jerseys are still available to those who want to pay for a replica, whether blank or customized.
Finally, if the Winter Classic had not been good for the NHL, there would not be rumors of a repeat. Rumors are already circulating that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers may face each other at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. Other reports indicate that neither the Sabres nor the Penguins would participate in the next U.S. outdoor game. Regardless of what you hear, many fans are eager to attend an outdoor game; especially if it were to be one between two rival teams.
After so many mistakes since the 2004-2005 lockout, fans believe that the NHL really got it right with the Winter Classic. It allows hockey to truly go back to its roots and provides a one of a kind experience for both teams and all the fans that have the opportunity to be there.
Learn more about this author, Alison Myers.
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No
The Winter Classic ran four years on the heels of the first modern-era outdoor NHL game, the 2003 Heritage Classic held in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. Back then, it was heralded as a great publicity draw for the new league as 57,167 braved the sub-zero cold as the hometown Oilers lost 4-3 to toque-adorned Jose Theodore and the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Photos of Theodore and the rink and the game were reprinted in sports sections across the country and the world...
... But the enthusiasm didn't last. Like its Canadian precedent, the Winter Classic will prove to be a short-term publicity stunt. Several problems were not addressed with this game before it was played:
1. SCHEDULING
The 2008 Winter Classic, the first outdoor NHL game to be held in the United States and second outdoor game in modern NHL history, was hosted by the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph J. Wilson Stadium, the home of the Buffalo Bills... on New Year's Day. The game competed directly with the epic Michigan-Florida thriller in the Capital One Bowl, and was planted in the thick of a bloated sports schedule traditionally reserved for college football. Hockey, a niche sport trying to regain the footing it lost after an entire season was lost to lockout in 2005, simply does not have the cachet to battle directly, and the numbers showed the fact. While hockey drew a 2.4 rating, these were the best numbers the sport had experienced since the short-lived novelty of a glowing puck graced Fox broadcasts of NHL games.
2. ICE CONDITIONS
The reality is that, by playing an outdoor game, two NHL teams are placing greater risk on their players as they contend with the exterior and uncontrollable factor of climate as well as the regular rigors of their profession. While the ice crew in Buffalo did a valiant job in getting the rink serviceable in one week, there were still holes regularly forming by the third period which required near-constant patching. The risk of scheduling these outdoor games is that the weather will not cooperate to produce ideal ice conditions; Buffalo didn't disappoint. The 2003 Heritage Classic worked so well despite - or precisely because - of the cold. The ice was able to harden better with a 45-degree decrease in the temperatures encountered in Buffalo four years later. Further, the snow provided drama on the television... and next to no sight lines for the players. Having played in swirling snow before, it looks easier on camera than it is in real life...
The NHL plays a game of Russian roulette every time they stage one of these contests. The first two have gone off without a hitch, but weather doesn't always cooperate well enough. A player could easily have snapped a leg in the holes of ice which is not at a proper temperature or density...
3. AFTEREFFECTS
The game itself was a spirited contest, with Pittsburgh defeating Buffalo on a Sidney Crosby goal in the shootout. Yet, beyond the niche reporting, the game got relatively little play in most media markets with Michigan's upset of Florida, USC's pasting of Illinois, Hawaii's mauling by the Bulldogs, Missouri's slaughter of the Razorbacks, Tennessee's narrow victory over Wisconsin, Texas Tech's come-from-behind victory over Virginia... by the time all the football was digested most papers had the Classic on page five. The NHL did nothing significant to push its image into mainstream media markets, and NBC didn't have the onus to build momentum from the game because Versus resumed broadcasting rights...
The Winter Classic was a fun game to view, and as an NHL fan I recognize the photo opportunity these games represent. But to say that these games are doing any long-term good for the NHL is ludicrous... the risk inherent in such ventures is far greater than the rewards we have witnessed.
Learn more about this author, Zach Bigalke.
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