There is a ton of coverage and conversation in the hockey world about this year's Winter Classic in Chicago.
The sad part is that this coverage seems to be limited to the hockey world, and no other sports people I talk to have even heard about it. I have not even been yelled at by a Cubs fan for hockey trespassing on their sacred field.
No one outside of hockey knows about the NHL opening their season in Europe, or the Rangers participation in the 2008 Victoria Cup.
I doubt that the 2009 All-Star Game will be a big hit, especially compared to the blockbuster show that the MLB put on.
I sat down in my thinking chair, and came up with some interesting solutions for the NHL's lack of exposure.
I love the whole idea of the Winter Classic. It represents hockey at its finest, and really touches players and fans on a deep level.
It would be like watching the Celtics play a pick-up game with the Lakers on the local blacktop. How about the Red Sox and the Yankees playing in a sandlot for the neighborhood trophy made from a really cool rock duct-taped to a couple of sticks?
The Winter Classic is sports at its finest. The only problem I have with the Winter Classic is that it is considered a regular-season game. The game is anything but regular, so why should it be a part of the regular season?
The conditions of the ice are different and the atmosphere is different, so in that respect it is not fair to the two teams that play to have it count as one of their 82 games.
I have come up with the solution: Combine the All-Star Game with the Winter Classic. Have the All-Star teams play on an outdoor rink.
Everything about it seems so perfect to me. There are more seats, so more fans can attend, and the league would combine two "special" game ideas. That should increase coverage.
If the NHL actually were to do this, I am pretty sure they would generate a substantial amount of buzz about the event. The only problem would be that once people see the All-Star Game, they might be turned off by the retarded relay race.
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