It would be no surprise to me to learn that hockey fans look at the pre-game bullshit for this and either roll their eyes or just don't bother with it. You talk about the most pre-packaged, manufactured hype you could possibly ask for.

Flyers Bruins? Ask any Flyers fan who they have a rivalry with NOW, and they will tell you either the Devils or *maybe* the Rangers. The Bruins? Yeah, 35 years ago.

And that's exactly what NBC played. Bobby Clarke and Bobby Orr. Good job. you dug deep. Idiots. You got these poor guys skating on the ice?

This was painful to watch; almost like the pre-show countdown at AMC before the movie trailers start.

Interviews with players who talk about their love playing outdoors, while when they cut to the broadcasters they made sure they had kids in the background playing hockey (wearing bruins and flyers jerseys)...Good God this was just...well, you insert the derision. It was bad.

I hated this.

The game...? Yeah, it was fun at times to watch. And I know they were gushing over the fact that there was SNOW. OH YAH COZ IT IS NORTH AND IT IS COLD AND SNOWY LOLOLOL...

ugh.

Sorry just had to rant that shit.

The Winter Classic is great for Hockey. It is planned & produced just like any other major sporting event. I enjoy the hell out of it.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

NBC Sports seemed to pull out all the stops in its coverage, including featuring the bald head of Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore above "Pesky's Pole" & inside the manual scoreboard where the Green Monster is. I could've lived without Curt Schilling during one of the intermissions...

It seemed to me like they just said, Hey this worked last year, so let's do the same thing that we did last year but just replace all the Chicago and Detroit people with Boston and Philly people!

This game MUST be in Canada and I would try to find a way to construct an actual outdoor hockey stadium for it, the baseball stadium gimmick is cool, but really odd looking and probably leads to a lot of bad seats. it seems to me that is should have been in Canada this year (ahem, Vancouver) but maybe next year.

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I'd like to see the Maple Leafs play the Canadiens next year. Since, I believe, neither site has a place to play the game outdoors, they could just play it in Ralph Wilson Stadium. I'm sure the people of Toronto wouldn't mind the notion of a team playing a home game at another site.

You mean you don"t want to see Tampa Bay play Carolina?

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

It'll never be in Canada. NBC isn't shelling out money so they can try to market Vancouver to its US viewers. Next year it'll either be in NY or Washington.

But, the news is that they are going to add a second game and most likely that one would be in Canada. No word on whether that one would be carried here in the US on a major network.


I didn't have a problem with the way they marketed the game today, but some of the in game stuff was really bad. The James Taylor national anthem sucked for a hockey game, made you want to fall asleep. And the stupid Sweet Caroline song was beyond out of place at a hockey game, I don;t give a crap if they do play it at RedSox games. Maybe that's why baseball is a sport for closet homosexuals and juice heads, they enjoy ghey stuff like that.

The game itself sucked until the end. Hopefully next year they'll put two good teams in it, Washington and maybe even give Pittsburg another shot at it.

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I read in Sports Illustrated that the NHL is going to try to stage the Winter Classic next year in NYC at Yankee Stadium with the Rangers taking on the Washington Capitals.

I love watching the Winter Classic but I would think at some point you would run out of places to have it...Like someone said earlier...Would you watch Tampa v Carolina outdoors.

Guess it was a good thing I avoided it.

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I wouldnt watch Tamp V Carolina indoors...

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

it just seemed so prepackaged. but like i said, i wanted to get an opinion from a hockey fan because i'm a casual fan but not diehard. even as a casual fan i thought it was insulting. i guess they have to do that kinda thing for ratings and whatnot...but when they did the baseball tie-ins i just thought..."isn't this supposed to be about hockey?"

why only 1 per year? If they find a location and it works then why not do it there at least once every year. I didn't go last year but was in the area and it was electric that day. My fam and I couldnt find a place to eat that wast completely packed that day until we finally ventured down to dagastino's. So what I am basically saying is that since it worked at wrigley then they should do it again and soon. Maybe set up the rink early during that stupid fucking circus at the UC?

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

You gotta expect Baseball tie ins when they play a Hockey game in a Baseball stadium.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

was there that kinda shit when they did the wrigley game? i didn't see the pregame stuff for that one.

why?

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Because if they did it for every fing team every fing time, there would be no speciality about it. They already picked the wrong weekend to do it, so I woiuldn't be surprised to seem them f it up further though.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

They could have a winter weekend where the top 4 teams from last yrs playoffs, the host team, and a local rival get together and play 2 games each over 3 days.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

they should try to have a rink perpendicular to an nfl field, at an endzone. it should fit. 160' versus 200'. i'm sure there is 20 extra feet per sideline.

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@audioidkid

Oh Brother...

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

It is still a huge mistake for this to be on New Years Day.

I have moderate interest in hockey and I was more interested in Outback/Capital One/Rose Bowl than I was for this. I turned on NBC, saw Fenway Park with a rink inside of it, and said "That's cool". I then went back to watching college football.

It would be great on Christmas Day when it would only really compete with the NBA or this Saturday prior to the NFL Wildcard games. It still gets lost on New Years Day.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I agree Rick, or maybe even New Years Eve in primetime.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Last years Winter Classic at Wrigley Field between the Hawks & Wings drew the highest TV ratings for a Hockey game in 33 years, & I'm pretty sure that it also drew more viewers than many of the News Year Day bowl games. This years game had great ratings as well.
The New Years day Winter Classic is here to stay.
Who would have ever believed that the NHL could compete with the New Years day college football madness?

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

That game did a 2.9. The Alamo Bowl did a 4.6 and the Capital One bowl did a 6.4. For network tv, it did pretty poorly. For hockey, it did amazingly well. The Rose Bowl was significantly higher than all of those.
They really don't though. They have increased viewership vs. a normal hockey game on NBC but the numbers show college football is getting much stronger ratings.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

That really doesn't answer my question. Unless it is just extremely lazy broadcasting, I dont see a use of invoking another sport when you're supposed to be covering hockey. And considering the NHL isn't nearly as popular, it almost sounds condescending

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Truth be told, the NHL actually was hoping to feature the Winter Classic at old Yankee Stadium before it closed after the 2008 season, but there were logistical issues that prevented the old stadium in the Bronx hosting the game and it paved the way for the NHL to stage the '09 Winter Classic between the Blackhawks & Red Wings at Wrigley instead. I could picture future Winter Classic games taking place at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, Philadelphia's CitizensBank Park and Detroit's Comerica Park down the line.

Rick,

Where did you get those numbers? I have been looking for them & would like to look up a few other events.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Here are the 2009 numbers:http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2009/01/27/bowl-season-tv-ratings-ncg-and-rose-dominate-emerald-makes-the-top-10/
The 2009 and 2010 winter classic ratings show up when you google "200X winter classic ratings".

It was 2.9 for the Hawks and 2.6 for this year.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Somebody already posted this, but Barry Melrose on New Year's Day said that he thought the next one would be in New York, and it would be the Rangers vs Capitals.

Another place they had talked about playing was at Penn State, maybe Flyers vs Penguins.

I know it may stack up ratings wise to have it on New Year's Day, but I kinda like on that day, 3 or 4 football games on and an outdoor hockey game, makes for a special day.

Somebody posted about a later start on New Year's Day, probably won't happen, because it would get beat bad by the Rose Bowl, the Rose Bowl is one of the highest rated. I will say when ESPN gets all the BCS games, starts next year, not sure about Rose Bowl if it's on ABC or ESPN next year, since some people don't get ESPN, they could start the game later on NBC if the Rose Bowl is on ESPN, people would be looking for a sport to watch and would watch the hockey game, that don't get ESPN.