New Year's Day's outdoor matchup between Pittsburgh and Buffalo is what the NHL needs. Intriguing matchups, national coverage, superstar players, record setting crowds, and hockey being played out where it began, exposed to the wrath of mother nature. I get the chills looking at pictures from this most recent Ralph Wilson classic because of the magnitude of what this means to the game. It takes me back to seeing the spectacles of the Cold War at Spartan Stadium, a game that I would've surely attended had I been a student at UM a little earlier. I still think a reciprocal game should be held at Michigan Stadium when the luxury box construction finishes up, ultimately, shattering the hockey attendance record once and for all. Bringing hockey back to its outdoor roots in the great outdoors is a truly special occurrence that has only happened a select few times, but is likely to increase in occurrence in the near future.
I am genuinely confused at the timing of this game. Scheduled for the most busy sports watching day of the year, and at the same time as three other major bowl games, the NHL is just asking to take a hit in television ratings. These outdoor games are a great tool for catching the eye of the universal sports fans, those who appreciate sporting at its finest, whether they are hockey watchers or not. National coverage gave everyone in this country an opportunity to see one of hockey's most electrifying players, Sid the Kid; an opportunity that only comes a couple times a year for those who don't live in the local Pittsburgh television regions. This was a perfect opportunity to spark the interest of casual sports fans who have long forgotten the excitement of the NHL. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, the traditions of new Year's Day college football overshadowed this monumental event in American hockey. Two weeks after the Superbowl would've been a much better time to market an event of this magnitude after the lures of postseason college and professional football are long gone. A step in the right direction, but it falls short on timing.
3 comments:
So ratings came out and this game brought in more watchers than any regular season NHL game in more than 10 years. Keep it coming Gary B.
They are saying this type of thing could happen in the next few years with Red Wings vs Maple Leafs at the Big House or Spartan Stadium. That would be sweet. In 2010, the frozen four is at Ford Field, so the Wings might play a game before then at Ford Field as a test run for the ice. Red Wings at the Big House would be awesome. Red Wing players seem pumped about the idea also.
Red Wings at the big house, well, I would die and go to heaven. My two favorite things in life in one place.
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