Today was the final day of what the National Hockey League deemed the "Stadium Series," which was a series of games played outdoors this season in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, and Chicago. In 2008, the NHL played its first "Winter Classic," an outdoor game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Thanks to the unmitigated success that the game was, the NHL then decided to play a Winter Classic game each and every year from then until now, but 2014 has been the first year of the "Stadium Series," and I have to say that I am not a fan of the idea.
Now don't get me wrong, it isn't that I am not a fan of outdoor NHL hockey. I actually love the idea. I have watched every Winter Classic game, and the 2014 version was unbelievably successful for a multitude of reasons. The games have been held in historically significant stadiums like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and, in 2014, Michigan Stadium a.k.a. The Big House. It has become the NHL's answer to the monopoly that college football has held on New Year's Day. January 1 is usually all about college football, but the NHL's Winter Classic has become a truly worthy rival in the ratings war. In 2014, the NHL even moved its game into the University of Michigan's home stadium, and what it got was the best Winter Classic game yet.
The Big House gets its name for exactly the reason one would expect; it is a gigantic stadium, with a capacity of over 100,000. The 2014 Winter Classic, a game that featured the Detroit Red Wings battling the Toronto Maple Leafs, set an NHL record attendance of 105,491. To put that into perspective, there are only two NHL arenas with capacities of over 20,000 (the Bell Centre in Montreal and the United Center in Chicago). That means that the 2014 Winter Classic saw an attendance of over five times the amount of any other game this season. The game was also watched by almost four and a half million people on television, making it easily the most successful Winter Classic we have seen thus far, and I loved every minute of it.
I watched the game from start to finish, and even though I am not a fan of Toronto or Detroit, I was thrilled to be able to see the two teams play. Both teams wore throwback jerseys, the goaltenders wore wool hats on top of their masks, and the snowfall during the game only added to the allure of the event. I heard nothing but positive things about the game, and I thought the NHL was to be commended for putting on such a great show. In my mind, the day was perfect for not only the league, but the game of hockey in general. So many of the league's players grew up in cold weather towns, playing the game outdoors, and the Winter Classic is a great way to bring back the feelings of hockey in its purest form. The fans loved it, the players loved it, and according to attendance and ratings numbers, the entire sports world loved it. However, as is often the case with things that are so successful, I think we are beginning to get a serious case of "too much of a good thing."
In 2008, the Winter Classic was a once yearly, unique event. It was a day that players, fans, executives, and everyone close to the game of hockey could look forward to. Once a year, we could all enjoy outdoor hockey. Yet, in 2014, the NHL has begun to get greedy, and played a series of games outdoors. Doing so might bring about higher attendance and viewership for those games, but in my opinion, it is also seriously taking away from the singularity and uniqueness of the Winter Classic.
Of the four major sports in the United States, the NHL is clearly lagging behind the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball in pretty much every category. Attendance, ratings, jersey sales, and anything else you can think of. The NHL is definitely number four when it comes to our four major sports. So, as a business, the league certainly cannot be faulted for attempting to turn a successful idea into a whole lot of extra money. Therefore, from the business perspective of things, I understand what the league is doing with the Stadium Series. However, as a fan of the game, I really wish that the league makes sure that 2014 is the first and last year of the Stadium Series.
The Winter Classic has become a signature event of the NHL. For better or worse, it has reached the point that it is even more anticipated than the Stanley Cup Finals. The only way to keep it as such is to make sure it remains alone and incomparable. Thanks to the success of Thanksgiving Day games, the NFL has turned Thursday games into a norm, and games on Thursdays have become scorned by not only players and coaches, but fans as well. Seeing a Thursday night game on the schedule brings about far more groans than cheers now in NFL circles.
The NBA had success with Christmas Day games because watching a basketball game on December 25th was a nice way to spend an hour or two with family and friends while celebrating the Christmas holiday. When the league turned one game into a marathon of games all day, it took away from the singularity of the day's game for not only the fans, but the players as well. Members of two teams missing Christmas celebrations was fine, but when it turned into eight or ten teams playing on the 25th, I am sure that seeing your team on the schedule for Christmas Day became somewhat disappointing for the thousands of players and staff who are unable to celebrate the holiday with family and friends.
Major League Baseball played an Opening Day overseas a few years ago in an attempt by the league to globalize the game. It began as somewhat of a success, but with the Diamondbacks and Dodgers opening the season a week before the "official" Opening Day, multiple players have voiced their displeasure with having to travel to Australia to play regular season games. The NHL is doing exactly the same thing with their Winter Classic, and I really hope that they don't ruin the great thing they have going.
January 1st has become a day that the country can celebrate hockey in its truest form. The uniqueness of the day is a sight to behold, and I have fallen in love with the Winter Classic. However, I just beg the league not to ruin the great thing they have going by watering down the game with a growing series of other outdoor games each year. I understand what the league is trying to do from the business perspective, but as a hockey fan, I really hope that the NHL isn't biting off more than they can chew and turning the Winter Classic into a boring and overblown outdoor game that isn't as truly unique as it should be.
Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers came out of the Olympic break with a great win over a very good Chicago Blackhawks team, but they fell to the Flyers yesterday. The puck drops at Madison Square Garden in just under 30 minutes against the Boston Bruins, and the Rangers are in a very tight battle for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. With 21 games left to play, there is still a whole lot to be decided before we reach the postseason.
Daily Nets Update: Coming off a win against the lowly Milwaukee Bucks, the Nets are only one game under .500, and seem to be well positioned to make the postseason. Seeding is far from determined though, and the red-hot Chicago Bulls will visit Barclays Center tomorrow night. The Pacers and the Heat are clearly the class of the Eastern Conference, but after that, only six games separates the three seed and the eight seed, and the Nets are right in the middle of that mix.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: I'm still not sure about this, but I think Spring Training games probably have less of a bearing on the regular season than NFL preseason games, but it is pretty close. The bottom line is, neither of them matter much at all. That is why Arizona's 3-2 Spring Training record right now means next to nothing. It is still too early for a frontrunner to have emerged in the battle for spots at the back end of the rotation, as well as the battle between Didi Gregorious and Chris Owings at shortstop. The squad will be split tomorrow, with the biggest news of the day clearly being the spring debut of Archie Bradley against the Colorado Rockies. I still don't think Bradley will win a spot in the rotation out of Spring Training, but I am expecting to see him sometime in 2014, and tomorrow night will mark the beginning of his journey to the bigs.
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