The one last night was horrible to watch. This one looks better but NY and NJ don't really interest me.

The problem with the Ducks-Kings game was that it was a 10 pm start for the East Coast, 9 for us, Saturday night, which meant no one was really able to watch it outside of Western Canada and the scattered souls who live in California but also love hockey. But there, they got their freakin' outdoor game, now leave us alone. One of the worst things about the Winter Classic is how it gives rise to annoying fanbases who are like "wah wah, major-market bias, when will Nashville get to host?" Never. Roughly about nineteen-ninety-never. Fuck yourselves.

The problem with the Ducks-Kings game was that it was a 10 pm start for the East Coast, 9 for us, Saturday night, which meant no one was really able to watch it outside of Western Canada and the scattered souls who live in California but also love hockey.

My preference would be to have the Winter Classic and the All-Star Game outdoors and that's it. Combining the outdoor aspect with the choose-up-sides teams would be the best way to do the Olde Tyme Pond Hockey thing they seem to want, even though most of these guys from suburban Toronto never played on anything but professionally maintained ice growing up.

I'm not understanding your post. I don't think anyone ever said they had "taken over" the day so much as just cut out a niche for themselves. It's always going to be a college football day for most people, but there's room for hockey in there as well.

But the Hawks’ game at Soldier Field is the big one for many reasons — the market, teams, star players, circumstances, sponsors, the broadcast on NBC.

It’s for those reasons that the NHL is open to hosting a game at the White Sox’ U.S. Cellular Field. It would make for a unique trifecta of outdoor games in Chicago, starting with the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

“We know how great of a market Chicago is and how much it contributes overall to the league’s success,” Collins said.

U.S. Cellular Field?

“Sure,” Collins said. “Look, Chicago is a great market. We’ll get through the successes of this year and we’ll be able to sit down and really figure out what the plan is going forward. But yeah, sure. Comiskey is a great park.”

Collins said there have been discussions with the Sox — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf are “very tight,” he said — but the dialogue in 2009 at least took a backseat to Wrigley Field, with Hawks president John McDonough’s Cubs connections.

But “[U.S. Cellular Field is] a great ballpark,” Collins said. “The president likes it.”

But why stop there.

“What else?” a smiling Collins said. “Northwestern? What is it, Ryan Field? We got to hit that one. Notre Dame? There’s a whole bunch.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf are “very tight,” he said

Bettman almost signed the Phoenix Coyotes over to Reinsdorf for no money down pending a deal where Glendale would create a taxing district and divert the tax dollars to Reinsdorf. Tight indeed.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Minnesota Wild are expected to host the Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche will host the Detroit Red Wings in 2016 outdoor games.

As for the stadium-series game, the NHL originally wanted the Wild to play the Dallas Stars. The Wild requested the Blackhawks. According to MacKenzie’s report, the Wild got the Blackhawks. It will be Chicago's fourth outdoor game, Minnesota's first.

I'd watch if they actually played the game on a lake. Otherwise, keep this shit to just exhibition games.

In March. Adds some excitement.