On Monday, the fifth NHL Winter Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia between the Flyers and the Rangers. Just like the previous four games, it was sold out in a matter of hours. The home of the Phillies certainly is ready to play host to an NHL game. But can an event that is only in its fifth year of existence really be called a classic?
Well, NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins certainly thinks it can.
“We have become a New Year’s Day fixture with four outstanding events and the help of NBC,” Collins said. “We got off to a great start in Buffalo. The weather could not have been better. It looked like a snow globe on TV, and Sidney Crosby scored the game winner in overtime for a perfect ending. We held the next two games in iconic baseball stadiums, first Boston’s Fenway Park and then Wrigley Field in Chicago, where we mixed some of the best hockey cities together with the most picturesque venues in American sports.
“Last year we got a little lucky in Pittsburgh. The [Penguins] and the [Capitals] got pushed into prime time because of the rain, and they provided us with a fantastic game. Sixty-eight thousand fans at Heinz Field under the lights bringing us our highest regular-season television rating in over 38 years.”
The Winter Classic has been a hit with the casual fan, something not lost on advertisers.
“Madison Avenue understands that the Winter Classic attracts the casual fan, and we are seeing those same fans becoming more and more interested in the NHL,” Collins said. “Sponsors have really have been attracted to the NHL as a result of this game, and they are now finding many more ways to spend money with the league.”
So what of the future?
“There is a big demand for this game. For now, the trick has been how do we make this game as big and as relevant as possible, so you’re looking at big TV markets, great franchises, great rivalries, venues that we can get into that really support the game, weather patterns for the last 30 years,” Collins said. “I will say, though, looking forward, the commissioner has heard from every owner in the league, including the fine owner in Washington. There is no doubt of the bright future of the event and that it will one day be held in D.C. as well as warm weather cities down the line.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com.
