Winter Classic

Venue absolutely does matter. It's why they held the game in Wrigley and Fenway and had made an attempt to get the game in Old Yankee Stadium before it was torn down. Believe me they didn't stick the game there for the benefit of the fan at the game because the site lines are shit for hockey at a baseball stadium, especially when there were multiple options for all three in the same market that probably would have been better for the fans at the game. They want the old historic venue because of the picture it paints, especially on TV. Now is venue the only motivating factor? No it isn't -- as evidenced by games at Ralph Wilson and Heinz -- but to out-and-out say it isn't a factor at all is ridiculous. I am also not sitting here saying they absolutely should go to South Bend, however, I am saying it would be a viable option.

 

South Bend is not a viable option, for reasons that have been listed too many times before.

If they gave a shit about the scenery, they would have had the Pittsburgh game in the baseball park. But they had it at Heinz because they could sell twice as many tickets.

 

Pie-in-the-sky, knowing there's not a chance in hell for any number of reasons:

The Brickyard
Cowboys Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Rose Bowl
Ohio Stadium

 

If they didn't give a shit about the scenery, the Chicago game would have been at Soldier Field (twice as many tickets) and the Boston game would've been at Gillette Stadium (twice as many tickets). Of course venue plays a factor in it.

Pittsburgh's baseball park is not even in the same discussion as Wrigley and Fenway in terms of history and mystique so for the Pittsburgh game the venue wasn't a big deal.

 

I guess they could crank up the AC to control the quality of the ice to some degree. Really it couldn't be much worse than the ice in Florida other southern markets during the spring.

 

Yep. It's not about scenery, but more so about being tied in to what drives the local sports market. Buffalo loves the Bills and prides itself on the snow and cold conditions. Chicago loves Wrigley and the Cubs. Boston loves Fenway and the Red Sox. And Pittsburgh loves the Steelers.

No way would the NHL tie its most marketable game to a franchise that hasn't had a winning season since 1992. Better to tie one winning franchise to another. Getting away from baseball stadiums was good in itself, too, just to keep that idea from getting stale.

 

Bettman was in Anaheim tonight. As between-periods guest on the telecast, he was asked about the possibility of the Winter Classic coming to the West Coast -- San Jose, L.A., Anaheim.
Without actually saying it, he said, no fucking way.

 

Actually, the NHL looked into Soldier Field and Gillette Stadium. The Bears flatly turned them down because they were concerned about hosting a playoff game the following week. The Patriots had similar concerns, although I don't know if it ever got to a formal proposal.

The Steelers were willing to play along because they closed at home on Dec. 23 and couldn't have another home game until Jan. 8. Plus the NHL picked up the tab for new sod.