NHL Winter Classic 2012: Time Change Will Be Good for Ratings

Due to circumstances beyond the league's control, the NHL decided to push back the start of this year's Winter Classic by a couple of hours.

The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers were slated to square off at Citizens Bank Park at 1 p.m. ET, but the NHL decided on Sunday to push the start of the game back to 3 p.m. ET.

The official explanation, according to ESPN, is that the start of the Winter Classic was pushed back because of the weather forecast. Moving the game back a couple hours will apparently allow the Rangers, the Flyers and the fans to enjoy optimal conditions.

The time change will benefit the NHL too, as moving the Winter Classic to 3 p.m. allows it to occupy a less-crowded time slot.

Had the Winter Classic stayed at 1 p.m., it would have been competing for attention with three major college football bowl games—the Outback Bowl between Michigan State and Georgia, the Capital One Bowl between Nebraska and South Carolina and the Gator Bowl between Ohio State and Florida.

All three of those bowls are going to draw plenty of viewers, as all six schools have large fan bases and the match-ups themselves offer plenty of intrigue. The Ohio State-Florida game, for example, has the "Urban Meyer" subplot working for it.

By moving to 3 p.m., the Winter Classic can rest in between those three bowl games and the Rose Bowl between Wisconsin and Oregon.

Last year, the start of the Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals was pushed back to prime time because of weather concerns. That move resulted in the game being the most-watched NHL regular season game in over three decades (see ESPN.com report).

It would be a shock if this year's Winter Classic surpassed that record, but it should do pretty well nonetheless. Not having to compete with three bowl games may not help the Classic's ratings, but it surely won't hurt them.