Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Morrison delivers his insights into the world of hockey, on and off the ice.
Winter Classic low in quality, high in entertainment
Comments (8)
Thursday, January 3, 2008 | 04:23 PM ET
By Scott Morrison
Okay, let's all agree that the two outdoor games the NHL has played were both risky ventures and less than perfect from a quality-of-play standpoint.
But they were also wildly successful and entertaining in their own right.
In the case of the latest effort, the Winter Classic in Buffalo on New Year's Day, more than 71,000 attended at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Those tickets sold out in 42 minutes, by the way. That is a huge win for the NHL.
Television ratings on NBC in the United States were the best they have been in a dozen years. They are never going to push the NFL, but they were still an improvement on the norm and a reflection that the novelty event exposed the game to more people. Are they new viewers, existing hockey fans, who knows? But there were more eyeballs than normal and that is a win, too.
Television ratings in Canada were about the norm for an early Saturday night game, but much higher than an average afternoon game would draw. Given there was no Canadian team involved, the numbers were quite solid and another win for the NHL. Remember, this was a game that started at 10 a.m. PT for a lot of fans, who might have still been feeling the effects of the night before.
So all of that is good.
The game itself had a perfect feel, with the temperature just right, enough snow falling to create a wonderful atmosphere, a noisy crowd and the result being decided on the last shot by Sidney Crosby.
Was the ice great? No, it was forever being fixed but that is part of playing outside. And it probably wasn't any worse than a lot of indoor multi-purpose venues.
Was the game great? No, but it did have a dramatic ending and it wasn't the worst hockey ever played. There have been stinkers indoors, folks. But you also know what you are dealing with when you go outside, the limitations that may be created.
Bottom line is that both teams realized the sacrifices they would be making, but they were committed to a project to help sell and market the game and the league. In the end, this wasn't the exclusive cash cow that has been reported for the Buffalo Sabres. Undoubtedly they did well, but they were guaranteed their gate going in by the league, who assumed all financial risk. Inevitably, whatever profits will be shared by all 30 teams.
Given the attention this game inspired, given the focus on hockey it produced, given how it ultimately evolved, the league has no option but to do it one more time.
Inevitably, the weather will be a more significant factor, inevitably a game may have to be cancelled, but that is the risk with any outdoor venture.
The rewards, though, have been too great for the NHL to call it quits after two games. Don't overdue it, but do it again.
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About the Author
Scott Morrison, the recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fameís 2006 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, has been covering hockey for 25 years. The Toronto native began his career at the Toronto Sun in 1979. After spending more than 11 years as a hockey writer and columnist at the paper, Morrison became Sports Editor in 1991 and led the section to being named one of North America's top-ten sports sections in 1999 - the first sports section in Canada to receive the AP Sports Editors North American Award. Scott, a former two-term president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, joined Rogers Sportsnet in 2001 as Managing Editor, Hockey, and is currently both a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada and a columnist for CBC.ca.
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Comments (8)
Bob
Michigan
I like the idea of an outdoor game. Next year play the game in Michigan Stadium. Make it an all day affair. Start Saturday morning with kids playing. Early afternoon a couple college teams take the ice....Michigan vs Michigan State. Saturday night Detroit vs Toronto would play in front of 100,000 fans and the HNIC crew. It would be a great day for hockey!
Posted January 5, 2008 09:11 PM
Jeff
Once again you are right on the money. I couldn't agree more.
Posted January 5, 2008 01:38 AM
J.P.
I watched the game and thought it went well. I became frustrated with the teams constantly changing opposite ends of the ice to promote fairness. Leave it like a regular game and be done with it. I live in the states, but rely mostly on CBC for hockey coverage. I think the NHL's next outdoor game should have a Canadian team vs. an American team. Hold it in Canada so that ice conditions will be better. How about Colorado/Montreal? Whoever it is I really like the old school sweaters so that should be a must.
Posted January 5, 2008 01:06 AM
Garth Fifield
Love those fans in Buffalo.I watched the whole game and thoroughly enjoyed it. Reminded me of my younger days playing pick-up hockey on Saturday mornings with who ever happened to show up. I think maybe we should run this venue maybe every 3 or 4 years.Keep up the good work. Enjoy your articles.
Posted January 4, 2008 03:05 PM
John
Great game day atmosphere. Do it every 3 years to keep it special. You won't get the attendance that you did in any other city but Buffalo as these are true fans!
Posted January 4, 2008 11:15 AM
Nick
I think you may have missed one other good point about the outdoor games, although you briefly touched on it by mentioning the bad ice. All those volunteers who make and keep outdoor rinks in shape were probably watching, and were validated by these outdoor games. Who hasn't heard of the greats growing up, playing outdoors and becoming what they did because of these unsung heroes ( rarely seen or thanked) who freeze, curse the frozen hoses, and yet still lovingly have those rinks ready for the next batch of All-Stars. I just got in now from a game, 3 on 3 with goalies, that was started after the kids went home( okay, we may have had to turn off the lights at 10pm so they would) by one of those guys who I previuosly spoke, and he definitely deserved his moment. I don't think he would ever had done a selfish thing like this if we hadn't all just watched the Classic, but this will live in his heart every time he thaws the hoses, scrapes the ice the kids left, and he'll be warm in his heart with the sounds of Sid the Kid yelling at the top of his lungs, scoring that Shootout goal as if he just won the Cup.
Posted January 4, 2008 02:07 AM
Maple
newcastle
with success like this i think next yr hockey day in canada all the games should be played out doors...
Posted January 4, 2008 12:10 AM
Riley Strother
I agree 100%
Posted January 3, 2008 08:24 PM