Hockey Poll: New Year's Day Winter Classic at Fenway: the Flyers vs the Bruins

The Yankee Stadium rumor has been there pretty much since last year's game was given to Wrigley ... this year would've been the year to do it without the bowl contract in hand yet. The stadium has to be empty at least one week before and a few days after the game.

Citi Field might be the only available NYC destination, and although nice that's probably the least sexy venue in the area, and I would consider a Mets stadium in Queens more Isles than Rangers territory (although I'm not a New Yorker ...). Possibly Giants Stadium, as it will be available if it's still standing ... not sure when it's scheduled to be demolished.

Where, at least in the States, are viable places ... in order of probability of happening.

NYC (Rangers) -- one of the two baseball stadiums
Denver -- Coors Field
Minnesota -- new U of M stadium or new Twins stadium. Problem is, the Wild aren't sexy enough for U.S. national TV.
Washington -- RFK (which is a dump, but it's a historic and available dump) or Nationals Stadium? Is it too far south?
Pittsburgh (road team in '08) -- Heinz Field won't be available. Baseball stadium?
Detroit (road team in '09) -- Michigan Stadium -- no-brainer. This will happen someday.
Philly (road team in '10) -- probably the baseball stadium, although Lincoln Financial Field (or even Franklin Field) would be good venues.
St. Louis -- Busch Stadium, if and when the Blues become good again. Possibly too far south?
San Jose -- play in the Bay Area, either at the Giants' stadium or the Alameda County Coliseum. Is the climate too temperate?
Columbus -- not sexy enough for NBC, but if Detroit gets a game at U. of Michigan, they'll put in a huge pitch for a game at the Horseshoe.

Given the Winter Classic is NBC's brainchild, it will almost certainly always include two American teams. However, there is talk about having a separate Canadian game and scheduling two outdoor games a year.

Where in Canada is available?
Montreal -- is Molson Stadium big enough?
Toronto -- Skydome with the roof open seems contrived, but I don't think Exhibition Stadium is standing anymore.
Calgary/Edmonton -- they have viable outdoor football stadiums
Ottawa -- is there an old Riders football stadium? Is the old Lynx baseball field still standing (is it big enough?). Could they farm the game to Hamilton and play someone (maybe a Buffalo "home" game) at the TiCats' stadium?
Vancouver -- Don't the B.C. Lions play in a dome? Is there another viable outdoor venue in Vancouver?

 

WINTER CLASSIC

It's perfect for me. Enjoy B's kickin some Flyers arse, and then follow it up with the Ducks kickin some Buckeyes arse. Great day for all of New England!

 

My mom welcomed me back to America with tickets to Bobby's last game, so no hockey for me.

 

Flyers still aren't through screwing up hockey. Not listening to what Peter Laviolette is saying, either.

 

Re: Hockey Poll: New Year's Day Winter Classic at Fenway: the Flyers vs the Brui

The Big Bad Bruins were a collection (in Derek Sanderson's words) of "stars, superstars and Bobby Orr"

Those guys won through skill but never backed down.

The Flyers were thugs, plain and simple. They didn't call it "Flyer Flu" for nothing.

Besides, they had that little weasel on their team Bobby Clarke who used to yap and slash and hack but would never fight his own battles. He's still a puke.

 

Re: Hockey Poll: New Year's Day Winter Classic at Fenway: the Flyers vs the Brui

The only place to hold an outdoor game in Toronto is Grenadier Pond. The Rogers Centre sucks the life out of baseball and football. Let's not add hockey.

 

Can't see an outdoor game in Vancouver. Excellent chance it wouldn't be cold enough.

 

I just got off the golf course here, it wasn't warm about 3 degrees celsius.

 

Re: Hockey Poll: New Year's Day Winter Classic at Fenway: the Flyers vs the Brui

Has Jerray! Jones not made a play to host a game in his boondoggle of a stadium?

 

Guys in my office and I always thought Beaver Stadium at Penn state would be a great place for a flyers-penguins game.

 

Just like there were some Bruins, like John McKenzie, who didn't have to account for their behaviour as long as Wayne Cashman and Ken Hodge were around.

Ask Brian Conacher how he enjoyed playing against the Bruins of the era.

Speaking of long-ago Leafs, the notorious Forbes Kennedy and Pat Quinn incidents in the 1969 playoffs were perfect examples of how the Bruins bullied their way to the top of the league at the expense of weaker teams like Toronto.

Meanwhile, in the West Division at the exact same time, the Flyers were being picked apart at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. Ed Snider and Keith Allen vowed such an embarrassment would never happen again, and that was the start of the Broad Street Bullies.

 

Why hockey players rule, Reason # 67,831.

In what other pro sport would you see any of the athletes helping to maintain the playing surface, much less a 21-year veteran and future Hall of Famer like Mark Recchi?



And Marc Savard of the Bruins learns that no two snowflakes look or taste the same.