The NHL Outdoor Game in Buffalo
Sidney Crosby and Millions of Fans Want More
The NHL’s Winter Classic outdoor game in Buffalo gave the league its highest TV ratings for a regular season game in over 10 years.
American media covered the Buffalo Sabres-Pittsburgh Penguins match-up like it was a Stanley Cup final – only better.
Sidney Crosby, the league’s brightest young star, seized the moment by scoring the game-winning goal in a shootout, dodging fluffy snowflakes all the way. Crosby loved it and said he’d play outside again in a heartbeat.
Bucking the all-football New Year’s Day tradition, the Winter Classic drew similar numbers, about 3 million viewers, to the Gator Bowl’s Texas Tech-Virginia match-up which aired at the same time.
So what’s not to love?
More Outdoor Games, Please
The NHL’s Winter Classic was such a success that there’s talk of holding an outdoor game every year. Every year? Why not every week?
There’s no need to rehash all the problems the shinny boys face in the bulk of the U.S. Simply put, in most parts of the lower 48, the NHL only gets noticed when one player whacks another upside the head with his stick. Otherwise, it’s ho-hum, what channel’s showing the figure skating re-runs?
What’s more, within a week of all that glorious media coverage, the NHL was back in its usual place in the pecking order of big-time North American sport – rock bottom.
But with the outdoor game the NHL has a proven winner. Why not ride that wave?
Outdoor Game of the Week
How about a Saturday or Sunday afternoon Outdoor Game of the Week with national U.S. TV coverage? Once the NFL is finished, there are outdoor venues available in Pittsburgh, Buffalo and New Jersey. All the Canadian cities could host games. Minnesota, Detroit and St. Louis could also host potentially frosty tilts.
But wait, it gets better. Outdoor games at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park would generate incredible interest, sell huge numbers of tickets and make NHL games the must-attend events of the winter in those markets.
The ultimate venue, though, would be the great lawn of New York’s Central Park. Imagine the buzz in the media capital of the world. It would be though the roof.
Add in potentially crazy weather, half-naked (presumably drunken) fans painted their team’s colors, live music, cheerleaders and, well, you get the drift. It goes from just another game to a much anticipated, must-attend event. That’s exactly what the NHL needs in order to register with both American fans and media.
It sometimes takes out of the box thinking to create a sea change in peoples’ attitudes. So why not take the NHL out of the arenas more often? It sure can’t hurt.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles