Whether you agreed or disagreed with the concept, the 2008 NHL Winter Classic was a fun game to watch. But is the idea of playing on an outdoor ice rink just a gimmick to get more fans? Or is this retro trend something that should be incorporated into the game itself, dragging the comfortable fans and players out of the arenas and into the harsh elements from whence hockey originally began?
Anyone who watched the Pittsburgh Penguins (in old-school uniforms) play the Buffalo Sabres to a 1-1 tie and then pick up the win in a dramatic shootout has to agree that there’s a certain appeal to the idea of playing hockey outside. After all, that’s where the sport started. But historical buffs aside, who really wants to freeze to death in sub-zero temperatures watching their team shuffle back and forth across snow-covered ice?
The teams playing at Buffalo had the advantage of heated benches to keep warm – just imagine going to see your favorite team game after game and sitting outside on cold cement seats or chilled wooden chairs. While it may seem fun and nostalgic the first or second time the thrill is going to wear off quickly as fans discover that it’s just not all that much fun to catch a cold or be constantly worried about freezing off their exterior digits. Sure you can bring hot chocolate and I’m sure the coffee vendors will be rushing too and fro with their wares but is it really worth all that for the retro factor?
Over 70,000 rabid hockey fans poured into the Ralph Wilson Stadium to witness the game; the falling snow often halting the play and allowing players to catch their breath as Zambonis raced across the ice to restore a playable surface. The pace of the game changes, then – to one of trying to fight the weather and the changing conditions instead of playing the other team.
Anyone who witnessed the first Pittsburgh goal within a half-minute of the puck being dropped has to agree that the weather conditions were a major factor in the gameplay. And if that theory is carried over into the regular NHL hockey game then you’re going to have less fans showing up for outdoor games and more NHL hockey players worried about the weather forecast than their opponents. It’ll become much like horse racing – it’s the condition of the track, not necessarily the other horses that you worry about.
So let’s keep the NHL Winter Classic a wonderful nostalgic event, but nothing else. Enjoy the cold weather, the frozen fingers and the falling snow but keep the real games inside where the fans can take off their coats without risking frostbite and the players don’t have to worry about leaving a warm, comfortable bench to fight their way through a snowstorm to the goal.
