2015 Winter Classic - Will you be watching?

[hf101]

 I for one like the Winter Classic and generally look forward to watching it.  And I think Bettman struck gold when the NHL and NBC installed this annual event.  

 

But...   why this matchup?  It just doesn't make much sense for these teams to play each other as a meaningful hockey matchup. 

 

From what I've heard Obama isn't even planning to be at this game, he is away on family holiday.  

 

If they want a political matchup in D. C.  ... then hey why not the Capitals and the Senators?  

 

The Hawks aren't the reining Stanley Cup Champs, they aren't even a division rival let alone a Conference rival.   

 

 

Is the sell for the superstars Ovechkin, Toews and Kane enough this year or will this years Winter Classic be a bust?

[yave1964]

I LOVE the Winter Classic, I watch no matter who is playing. I have HBO and always enjoyed the 24/7 series, but this year they moved it to Epix, I just cannot bring myself to spending 11 dollars a month to watch just that. But I will absolutely watch the classic every year.

[WordsOfWisdom]

It all started with the "Heritage classic" (Edmonton vs Montreal back in 2003) and then somehow the "Winter classic" became the NHL's baby, showcasing only US-based teams usually named Pittsburgh and essentially alienating fans in Canada. (Toronto being the first Canadian based team in the Winter classic.) 

 

Not that the minds operating the NHL would ever be accused of being smart (they stumbled into this by sheer luck), but wouldn't a well operated Heritage/Winter classic have matches like:

 

- Toronto vs Montreal

- Toronto vs Detroit

- Montreal vs Boston

- Detroit vs Chicago

- New York Rangers vs Pittsburgh

- Calgary vs Edmonton

- Edmonton vs New York Islanders

- etc....

 

Every original six team should have been in there.

Every team in a northern climate should be in there.

And make some marque matchups for goodness sakes.

 

Pittsburgh has been in at least three of these things already. Toronto only just played in their first HC/WC game. I mean what? What? Where is Toronto vs Montreal? (The biggest rivalry in the NHL.)

[Poulin20]

I only take interest when the Flyers are in it and thus did not watch it.  Personally though I don't care for them in general.  I understand the concept of getting back to the origins of hockey outdoors etc.  but in the end It is just another NHL gimmick IMOH and has gotten stale very quickly to me.  

 

Plus during the coverage of the game the camera always seems so far away (because it usually is) and the poor fans at the game cant see a thing because it is being played in a place that was not been designed to watch hockey in, which is why I refuse to attend one (both times I had tickets for the Flyers winter classics I sold them).

 

Sorry for sounding like a curmudgeon so early in the New Year but this is one aspect of the NHL that has "jumped the shark" to me.

[Podein25]

I only take interest when the Flyers are in it and thus did not watch it. Personally though I don't care for them in general. I understand the concept of getting back to the origins of hockey outdoors etc. but in the end It is just another NHL gimmick IMOH and has gotten stale very quickly to me.

Plus during the coverage of the game the camera always seems so far away (because it usually is) and the poor fans at the game cant see a thing because it is being played in a place that was not been designed to watch hockey in, which is why I refuse to attend one (both times I had tickets for the Flyers winter classics I sold them).

Sorry for sounding like a curmudgeon so early in the New Year but this is one aspect of the NHL that has "jumped the shark" to me.

Yeah me too. I enjoyed the first one, but it's so far from being "back to the origins" of the game, that it's become a bit of a joke.

[ruxpin]

If the members of this board started a beer league team, it would be called "The Misanthropes."

[WordsOfWisdom]

Yeah me too. I enjoyed the first one, but it's so far from being "back to the origins" of the game, that it's become a bit of a joke.

 

I enjoyed the first one too, assuming you mean Edmonton vs Montreal back in 2003 played in Edmonton under -20c temperatures.

 

They had a legends game that preceded the real game. And you can imagine the legends that the Oilers and Canadiens can bring to a game. ie: Gretzky was there. Now that's getting back to the roots of the game.

 

All that being said, I still think the first NHL outdoor game should have been Toronto vs Montreal. Even though it was Edmonton vs Montreal, and even though I'm a happy flag waving Canadian , Edmonton had absolutely no business of being in that game. No offense to the Oilers but the Leafs are 1000x more popular, have 1000x the history, 1000x the pedigree and name recognition, 1000x the franchise value, and 1000x the rivalry against Montreal. So the NHL managed to screw up the very first outdoor game by not having the poster match up that everyone in Canada wanted to see. Ten years in, two Heritage games with Montreal, one WC game with Toronto, and they still haven't done it. I think they're going to run through all the least interesting match ups first before hitting any of the ones that fans give a crap about.

[Podein25]

I enjoyed the first one too, assuming you mean Edmonton vs Montreal back in 2003 played in Edmonton under -20c temperatures.

They had a legends game that preceded the real game. And you can imagine the legends that the Oilers and Canadiens can bring to a game. ie: Gretzky was there. Now that's getting back to the roots of the game.

All that being said, I still think the first NHL outdoor game should have been Toronto vs Montreal. Even though it was Edmonton vs Montreal, and even though I'm a happy flag waving Canadian , Edmonton had absolutely no business of being in that game. No offense to the Oilers but the Leafs are 1000x more popular, have 1000x the history, 1000x the pedigree and name recognition, 1000x the franchise value, and 1000x the rivalry against Montreal. So the NHL managed to screw up the very first outdoor game by not having the poster match up that everyone in Canada wanted to see. Ten years in, two Heritage games with Montreal, one WC game with Toronto, and they still haven't done it. I think they're going to run through all the least interesting match ups first before hitting any of the ones that fans give a crap about.

Yes I was referring to the EDM - MTL game. I'm not certain that ALL of Canada wants to see a Habs - Leafs game, but it is a bit surprising I will admit.

[brelic]

Yeah me too. I enjoyed the first one, but it's so far from being "back to the origins" of the game, that it's become a bit of a joke.

 

It's a very American-style event (no disrespect meant), and by that I mean lots of pomp and circumstance. It just doesn't resonate with me.

 

You want a true heritage classic? Have the two teams play in the local rink of a small town. No advertising on the boards. A buzzer, not a horn. A crappy lightbulb based scoreboard with GUESTS and HOME on it. Michel from down the road driving the zamboni and Christine serving hot chocolate and drip coffee in styrofoam cups.

 

Making things BIGGER doesn't make them better.

[Podein25]

It's a very American-style event (no disrespect meant), and by that I mean lots of pomp and circumstance. It just doesn't resonate with me.

You want a true heritage classic? Have the two teams play in the local rink of a small town. No advertising on the boards. A buzzer, not a horn. A crappy lightbulb based scoreboard with GUESTS and HOME on it. Michel from down the road driving the zamboni and Christine serving hot chocolate and drip coffee in styrofoam cups.

Making things BIGGER doesn't make them better.

Totally agree. Make them use a frozen turd for a puck. Especially if it's the Flyers playing - suits their game.

[brelic]

Totally agree. Make them use a frozen turd for a puck. Especially if it's the Flyers playing - suits their game.

 

Ever watch Les Boys? That story perfectly captures the spirit of small-town hockey. The Winter Classic misses the mark completely, IMO.

[Podein25]

Ever watch Les Boys? That story perfectly captures the spirit of small-town hockey. The Winter Classic misses the mark completely, IMO.

The movie? Yes, I have. Where's the frozen snot and the players names written in yellow in the snow?

[brelic]

The movie? Yes, I have. Where's the frozen snot and the players names written in yellow in the snow?

 

Haha, that would be great. 

 

When has hockey ever been a 50,000-spectator sport? 

 

Somewhere along the way, the league grew into a multi-billion dollar industry with products (players), brands (arenas, teams and players), product placement, and mega-sponsors that have supplanted or at least displaced the product on the ice.

 

At the Senators game last week, I remembered why live NHL hockey doesn't appeal to me as much anymore - it's more about the game-day production than the product on the ice. As soon as the whistle blows, they blast really loud annoying music. I couldn't even talk to my friend about the game. We had to wait until the puck was dropped again. And then there's the less-than-entertaining intermission stuff on the ice.

 

For me, I love the product on the ice and would love to drop all the other nonsense. I guess it just takes all of the seriousness out of the competitive nature of hockey, and turns it into a Hollywood-style entertainment package, which doesn't resonate with me.

 

Clearly it's working for millions of fans, so I must not be their target audience.

 

I could be entering fuddy-duddy territory, because I just don't "get" it anymore.

[flyercanuck]

If the members of this board started a beer league team, it would be called "The Misanthropes."

 

I don't know why (because of its truth?) but this actually made me laugh out loud. Good one rux.

[flyercanuck]

I enjoyed the first one too, assuming you mean Edmonton vs Montreal back in 2003 played in Edmonton under -20c temperatures.

 

They had a legends game that preceded the real game. And you can imagine the legends that the Oilers and Canadiens can bring to a game. ie: Gretzky was there. Now that's getting back to the roots of the game.

 

All that being said, I still think the first NHL outdoor game should have been Toronto vs Montreal. Even though it was Edmonton vs Montreal, and even though I'm a happy flag waving Canadian , Edmonton had absolutely no business of being in that game. No offense to the Oilers but the Leafs are 1000x more popular, have 1000x the history, 1000x the pedigree and name recognition, 1000x the franchise value, and 1000x the rivalry against Montreal. So the NHL managed to screw up the very first outdoor game by not having the poster match up that everyone in Canada wanted to see. Ten years in, two Heritage games with Montreal, one WC game with Toronto, and they still haven't done it. I think they're going to run through all the least interesting match ups first before hitting any of the ones that fans give a crap about.

 

 

The Oilers didn't belong in a game that was their idea to play?  I'm sorry but yes they certainly did belong there. Maybe if the Leafs could have come up with it, they could have played.

 

Besides, my nephew was the Oilers backup then which made it tres cool. But now its just a goofy gimmick. I'd rather go skate on a pond than watch it.

[ruxpin]

I don't know why (because of its truth?) but this actually made me laugh out loud. Good one rux.

I wish I could take credit because I love the quote, but this actually belongs to @Podein25, who said it in the Outdoor Game thread. I was just throwing it back at him.

I agree it's funny as hell.

[WordsOfWisdom]

Haha, that would be great. 

 

When has hockey ever been a 50,000-spectator sport? 

 

Somewhere along the way, the league grew into a multi-billion dollar industry with products (players), brands (arenas, teams and players), product placement, and mega-sponsors that have supplanted or at least displaced the product on the ice.

 

At the Senators game last week, I remembered why live NHL hockey doesn't appeal to me as much anymore - it's more about the game-day production than the product on the ice. As soon as the whistle blows, they blast really loud annoying music. I couldn't even talk to my friend about the game. We had to wait until the puck was dropped again. And then there's the less-than-entertaining intermission stuff on the ice.

 

For me, I love the product on the ice and would love to drop all the other nonsense. I guess it just takes all of the seriousness out of the competitive nature of hockey, and turns it into a Hollywood-style entertainment package, which doesn't resonate with me.

 

Clearly it's working for millions of fans, so I must not be their target audience.

 

I could be entering fuddy-duddy territory, because I just don't "get" it anymore.

 

Hit the nail on the head.

 

I feel like pro sports has become something where the fans are "props" or "set background" instead of human beings. The NHL wants fans to open their mouth long enough to pour beer into it, and thinking is neither required nor desired. They blast loud music to prevent fans from talking about the game or thinking about the game between plays. It's about wiping short term memory so fans can't process what they just saw. Fans are told when to cheer, when to boo, etc. It's all carefully managed mental programming and mind manipulation, with a never-ending barrage of advertising. Half the time they don't even mention who took a penalty, or what happened behind the play. It's just go-go-go.

 

The best environment is when fans cheer because they want to cheer, not because the scoreboard sign tells them to. It becomes more real then.

[flyercanuck]

I wish I could take credit because I love the quote, but this actually belongs to @Podein25, who said it in the Outdoor Game thread. I was just throwing it back at him.

I agree it's funny as hell.

 

Doesn't surprise me that sheep****er would come up with something as brilliant as that.

[WordsOfWisdom]

The Oilers didn't belong in a game that was their idea to play?  I'm sorry but yes they certainly did belong there. Maybe if the Leafs could have come up with it, they could have played.

 

Oh. I didn't realize it was their idea.   

[brelic]

I feel like pro sports has become something where the fans are "props" or "set background" instead of human beings. The NHL wants fans to open their mouth long enough to pour beer into it, and thinking is neither required nor desired. They blast loud music to prevent fans from talking about the game or thinking about the game between plays. It's about wiping short term memory so fans can't process what they just saw. Fans are told when to cheer, when to boo, etc. It's all carefully managed mental programming and mind manipulation, with a never-ending barrage of advertising. Half the time they don't even mention who took a penalty, or what happened behind the play. It's just go-go-go.

 

Well said!

 

There's an old interview with Frank Zappa in which he says something pretty close to what you are saying.

 

Most of 'modern' society seems to be designed that way - anything to distract people from actually being thoughtful and deliberate about things. 

[flyercanuck]

@WordsOfWisdom

 

@brelic

 

I love music. I hate it at a hockey game. Except for an organ. 

 

The Barrie Colts used to play in an old barn that held less than 3000. That place absolutely rocked. No blaring music. One organ. Plenty of hockey fans. It got so raucous in there sometimes I thought it was going to collapse.

 

Now theres twice the fans in the new shiny cookie-cutter arena. Most wait for the video-tron-brain to tell them what to do and when to do it. And you're right about the music...you can't even think when they're blastin ACDC at you. You used to discuss the game with everyone around you...even rival fans.

[jammer2]

  I could only stomach 1 period of this outdoor game. The Crapitals are just pure torture to watch. Same ol' bums year after year....Brooks Laich, Fehr....they are a very boring team to watch. I'd rather have bamboo shoots stuck up my fingernails than watch a full game of that team. If they are not playing the Flyers, I stay away...far away.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

I like the outdoor games because they are something out of the ordinary. They're not your everyday game in a temperature controlled building with even lighting all over the rink.

I didn't watch this year's game (yet) but I did DVR it to watch at some point.