NHL Winter Classic 2013: Why Involving the Maple Leafs Is a Good Move

“Canadian teams in the NHL Winter Classic? What a crazy concept! Do you know how much American attention that would forfeit?”

You could argue all you want as to how right or wrong that proclamation was. But the fact is it was the implicit sentiment among all U.S.-based hockey promoters, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman included, during the Winter Classic’s first five years of existence.

No more. A little more than a month’s worth of speculation was confirmed Thursday morning with Bettman’s declaration that the Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the outdoor game’s sixth edition next January at Michigan Stadium.

With that, the Leafs have broken the national barrier to become the first team based in hockey’s fatherland to play in the annual event that celebrates the sport’s cold-weather roots. And the milestone invitation was sent to just the right team at just the right time.

Perhaps there once was some validity to the notion that the Winter Classic could only work, particularly in the way of NBC television ratings, if it pitted two American markets against one another. But as some have been apt to point out, the presence of a Canada-based club in last year’s Stanley Cup finals did not exactly stunt viewership.

Age-wise and growth-wise, the Winter Classic is well beyond toddlerhood now. It can afford to shed its U.S.-only double-runners and trust that enough sports fans will choose its marquee New Year’s Day game over the handful of college football bowl games that aren’t even the national championship.

Even if it did not apply three or four years ago, it is now quite plain that a franchise’s geographic location has no bearing on its magnetic pull. Name recognition is built more on longevity and historical significance.

For that reason, at least for now, there is no sense in trusting mass interest in the Winter Classic to just any franchise, American or Canadian. The mere fact that the Wings and Leafs are both Original Six teams―with 86 and 95 years of existence, respectively―is enough to make this matchup work.

Casual or novice hockey fans, especially those of older generations who might have followed the game more closely in a former era, are more likely to recognize a brand like the Maple Leafs than, say, the Nashville Predators.

In the near future, the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers―whom the Rip Van Winkles of sports fandom might remember from their Wayne Gretzky days―could also work as a Winter Classic participant in the near future. The same cannot be said about the likes of the Ottawa Senators or Winnipeg Jets, but there is always time for that to change.

But in terms of integrating Canada to the Classic, the Maple Leafs are the right choice to blaze the trail. Not only will they not be a liability in terms of encouraging surfers to settle onto NBC, they ought to impel casual American fans to tune in.

The Leafs’ geographic proximity to and rivalry with the Buffalo Sabres should have the bulk of Western New York watching, if only for the expressed purpose of booing the Buds from afar.

The Leafs are run by a pair of USA Hockey veterans in general manager Brian Burke and head coach Ron Wilson.

Toronto has one of the most prolific contemporary American pucksters in Madison, Wis., native and former Minnesota Golden Gopher Phil Kessel. In fact, the Leafs have an NHL-best eight rostered Americans hailing from six states, which supposedly has had some chauvinistic fans peeved due to the team’s resultant shortage of homeland products.

When fans north of the 49th parallel are complaining about too little Canadian influence, there is indubitably no need for an American commissioner or network executive to fret over the opposite.

Any degree of success the 2013 Winter Classic garners will certainly be constituted by the league and the host Red Wings putting the puck in the net. The primary assist will likely go to the host venue, it being the home to one of the most hallowed college football programs in the country.

But between their history, tradition and a few headline-hogging personalities, the Maple Leafs will earn a debt of credit in this one as well. And they will be solely responsible for opening the door to deserving participants in future Winter Classics.