The NHL should put the Penguins in as many Winter Classics as possible

Id also like to add that I think there should be more outdoor games. Im sure people will say that the novelty would wear off, and they have a point, but hockey was meant to be played outdoors and it’s just more fun watching it outdoors.

I don’t know. I really dislike the idea of any one team or just a couple of players being the “face” of the league. (I say this as someone who didn’t grow up with hockey and ultimately became a Penguins, and hockey, fan because I was impressed by how Crosby and Malkin moved and worked with their teammates. IOW, the kind of person the NHL might want to attract with the Classic.)

As long as we’re comparing hockey with other sports, I keep thinking about how Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got burdened with being the most popular driver in NASCAR. The poor guy wanted to be half the driver his daddy was and became the figurehead of a fan cult. (One that annoys me crazy, too.) He’s never been the best driver, but he’s gone from above average to below average—he hasn’t even won in two years. A couple years ago, you could quite easily see him in two or three commercials in a row during a race. Junior ended up losing his focus, and there’s a backlash against him.

I don’t think Sidney Crosby is in quite that situation. His father is thankfully alive and was never a star, and he’s got way more talent in his sport than Junior ever did in his. But we see how his omniprescence makes fans of other teams downright hate him, and by extension, the Penguins. Ovechkin’s getting some of that too as he’s promoted more. I don’t want to see either player lose their focus or make other fans sick to death of them. I think there needs to be several faces of the NHL, and I think attention needs to be spread out more. The sport as a whole can only benefit from that.

In regard to the Winter Classic, marquee names and matchups are of the utmost essence. If you want to build exposure and new fans, something like an Avs vs. Wild matchup won’t cut it. Pens/Caps has so much potential drama; as you said, the top 3 recognizable names in the league; and two of the league’s most exciting teams (well, the most exciting team, in the Pens, and the great selfish one in Ovechkin).

I would argue, however, that the outdoor “novelty”, at least for now, needs to continually be exploited each year. While I agree that the quality of the game of hockey itself can be the ultimate attraction, don’t underestimate the fickle, A.D.D.-like nature of the average American viewer…especially those with prior sporting interests and apathy toward hockey. Yes, Wrigley and Fenway were historic locations, and surely attracted the curiosity of non-hockey viewers; yet, I believe that any outdoor stadium, year-to-year will pull in curious viewers, regardless of location.

And for the reasons mentioned above, I would also recommend moving the Winter Classic away from its New Year’s Day slot…possibly to the Saturday after New Year’s (or New Year’s Eve if Jan. 1 is on a Sunday…there are several possible scenarios). Competition with football bowl games – especially with the magnitude of yesterday afternoon’s games – will always hinder the potential of the Winter Classic. I’ll be honest, I DVR’d the Winter Classic to watch Bobby Bowden’s final game. Today would have been a more appropriate time for the WC, with lesser bowl games being featured.

Bottom line…with the quality of hockey to be seen in today’s NHL, viewership CAN be maximized – and in my opinion, with all that hockey has to offer for the average fan, the South is a prime target for new fans. However, it must be done in a tactful way, as not to compete with the already-entrenched interests and plans of potential, new viewers.

As a fan of the team, I totally disagree. Watching the Winter Classic in Buffalo was honestly one of the most boring games I’ve seen, atmosphere aside, given all the stoppages in play to repair the ice and the much slower overall tempo to the play.

Ask about any intelligent hockey fan, though they might disagree on the order, but they’d admit that Crosby, Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are the game’s three most skilled offensive players.

BUT YOU FORGOT DATSYUK AND ZETTERBERGeleven

/rabid Wings fan

I agree, even if it has to be Ovechkin, though working in a Crosby – Ovechkin matchup would definitely be a rating helper. If they could work in a Philadelphia loss every year that would be great also. Even if they don’t play, just give them a loss.

I like the idea….As much as I agree that there need to be more “faces” in the league (and that it’s unfair to bash Crosby just because the “face” tag was dropped in his lap), Crosby, Geno, and Ovi are the 3 best guys in the league and I think it would be awesome to have them play on new years day every year.

Probably Rangers-Caps at Yankee Stadium next year.

While I like the idea of the league marketing the big three – Crosby, Malkin & Ovechkin – I think the league will continue to spread these games around. Eventually Toronto and the other more northerly teams will want one – so does Dallas – but after what happened at Ralph Wilson I think that baseball stadiums and college football stadiums will be used going forward as NFL stadiums are too difficult for the league to set up, and you couldn’t run events like today’s Old Timers game or the collegiate and scholastic games that are going to follow at Fenway. As long as NBC or a similar US network outlet is involved {the Versus New Years Eve preview show is also a good idea} with a New Years Day game this will flourish – but one a season is enough.

I see a game at PNC Park eventually, but it will be a while yet. At OSU much sooner. But you can’t ask for a better marketing event for the league and the sport.

Liked the way the US Olympic team was revealed also – those kids will never forget that, especially Tim Thomas greeting them the way he did.