Blackhawks/Red Wings 2009 NHL Winter Classic

vedhead011

It has been reported locally that Blackhawks vs. Red Wings will be the next matchup in the NHL's Winter Classic this January. It's also being reported that the likely location of this game will be Wrigley Field.

Why Wrigley Field? Last year's game sold over 70,000 tickets. They could sell 25,000 more tickets at Soldier Field than Wrigley Field. I'm a Cubs fan, but I will never understand the opinion that if something's good, it will be better at Wrigley Field.

rival.

so does this squash the possibilty of the rangers playing at yankee stadium?

pjhawks

singularity wrote:

so does this squash the possibilty of the rangers playing at yankee stadium?

there also is talk led by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell of having the Flyers play the Penguins at Penn State.

pjsteelerfan

this looks like it is going to be the trendy thing fro teams up north to do from now on.

vedhead011

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/976961,CST-SPT-hawk29.article

Report: Blackhawks to play Wings at Wrigley

May 29, 2008

The Blackhawks are expected to play the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field in January in the NHL's Winter Classic, Comcast SportsNet reported Wednesday night, with an official announcement perhaps coming this week.

Hawks president John McDonough has been pushing for an outdoor game after the success of this season's Winter Classic on New Year's Day at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. A league-record 71,217 fans saw the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Sabres 2-1 in a shootout.

Yankee Stadium, one of the other front-runners to host the outdoor game next season, was deemed an unlikely site last week by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Soldier Field also has been mentioned as a possible host in Chicago.

Sun-Times staff

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Sounds like the leaning is away from Yankee or Beaver Stadium. And sounds like we'll know that for a fact in the near future.

chromiam

Soldier Field is a strong possibility as is Wrigley. And yes, the Rangers at Yankess Stadium idea was basically squashed because of deals with the city getting control of parking lots to build a parking garage for the new stadium. Also, there was a worry about freezing pipes and other damage to Yankees Stadium due to it being used during the winter.

I'd love to see the Flyers and Pens play at Beaver Stadium and think it might happen soon, as long as the game is played in Nov and not the end of Dec or early January.

vedhead011

chromiam wrote:

I'd love to see the Flyers and Pens play at Beaver Stadium and think it might happen soon, as long as the game is played in Nov and not the end of Dec or early January.

I'm curious about your comment of the timing of the game...why is November, at the end of college football season better than late December/early January? Just wondering.

chromiam

vedhead011 wrote:

I'm curious about your comment of the timing of the game...why is November, at the end of college football season better than late December/early January? Just wondering.

In order to use Beaver Stadium, the thought is the game would have to happen soon after Penn State finished their season. Hence, the game being played in late Nov to early Dec. If it was not to happen till late Dec or Jan, the stadium would be unoccupied for at least a month and the university does not want to have to maintain the stadium during that timeframe.

HailHailVitalogy

There were big reports on Rangers vs Isles at yankee stadium all over, including espn....guess we gotta wait for the official word

vedhead011

chromiam wrote:

In order to use Beaver Stadium, the thought is the game would have to happen soon after Penn State finished their season. Hence, the game being played in late Nov to early Dec. If it was not to happen till late Dec or Jan, the stadium would be unoccupied for at least a month and the university does not want to have to maintain the stadium during that timeframe.

Makes perfect sense! That same concept can be used as a selling point for Soldier Field over Wrigley Field.

chromiam

vedhead011 wrote:

Makes perfect sense! That same concept can be used as a selling point for Soldier Field over Wrigley Field.

The problem for the Flyers/Pens is that the NHL really likes the idea of playing on or around New Years Day. They liked all the exposure they got as basically being the only game in town last year. We'll see, its a great concept, I just hope that the NHL doesn't fuck it up by going to the well too many times.

vedhead011

chromiam wrote:

The problem for the Flyers/Pens is that the NHL really likes the idea of playing on or around New Years Day. They liked all the exposure they got as basically being the only game in town last year. We'll see, its a great concept, I just hope that the NHL doesn't fuck it up by going to the well too many times.

I agree...annually should be the max. As a viewer at home I also really enjoyed the New Years Day concept and even though there are bowl games to keep track of at the same time, it's still a fun alternative. A lot of teams probably want to cash in while it's still a novelty and hopefully, like you say, the NHL doesn't bow to pressure and try to give everyone what they want immediately.

And I don't think they could've gotten luckier with the weather that day. The concept, hockey outside in the winter, was heightened with the snow storm. Do you think that reason would add to the decision process of not scheduling something in late November? Wanting an increased likelihood of winter weather?

rhinomagic

chromiam wrote:

I just hope that the NHL doesn't fuck it up by going to the well too many times.

Given the NHL's recent history, I'd say it's only a matter of time.

.

vedhead011

From last week's State of the NHL Address:

Another Winter Classic?
One thing seems clear -- with the success of the Winter Classic between Pittsburgh and Buffalo in January, the NHL once again will take its game outdoors next season. But just where that might be, Bettman wasn't prepared to say. With logistical problems pushing a date at Yankee Stadium to the back burner, one of the sites being hotly debated is Chicago's Soldier Field with a possible date between the Blackhawks and Red Wings.


Bettman did say talk of an annual "Battle of Pennsylvania" at Penn State likely wouldn't work given the number of teams that are interested in hosting an outdoor game.


"I can't envision right now a scenario where we would have two teams play annually outdoors," Bettman said. "We think the outdoor game was spectacular. We think it's special and needs to stay special.


After the success of this season's Winter Classic, the NHL is looking for new sites to host the next outdoor event.
"We're not going to overdo it," Bettman added. "The possibility of having the Penguins play the Flyers at some point in Happy Valley is intriguing, and it's on the list of possibilities that we are and will explore. I also have no doubt that if you played every year in Happy Valley, the weather would not cooperate every year. These games are difficult to put on. They're risky. They're expensive. And they're dependent on things that are not within our control."

chromiam

vedhead011 wrote:

I agree...annually should be the max. As a viewer at home I also really enjoyed the New Years Day concept and even though there are bowl games to keep track of at the same time, it's still a fun alternative. A lot of teams probably want to cash in while it's still a novelty and hopefully, like you say, the NHL doesn't bow to pressure and try to give everyone what they want immediately.

And I don't think they could've gotten luckier with the weather that day. The concept, hockey outside in the winter, was heightened with the snow storm. Do you think that reason would add to the decision process of not scheduling something in late November? Wanting an increased likelihood of winter weather?

Hell yeah they got lucky with the weather last year... it was a perfect scene for hockey. But if it had gotten any worse or snowed before the game started it could have been disasterous. Also, if someone would have been hurt as a result of the snow on the ice, it would have been a PR nightmare for the league.
I think the league (and NBC) wants to have as much exposure and PR from this as possible. So scheduling at a time when there are few other major sporting events to compete with is key. As is the right matchup of teams to get hockey and non hockey viewers interested. I don't think they wish for bad weather because its something they can't control, but if it not a factor in the game, they'd gladly take it for the atmosphere it creates.

pjsteelerfan

The weather was a big factor, it was awesome watching that game in the snow.