Another Winter Classic has come and gone for the NHL. This time the league staged its showcase regular-season event at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park and again drew good ratings and positive reviews. Five years in and the annual outdoor game doesn’t appear to be getting old yet. Now, the question that always gets asked at this time of year around these parts: When is the Winter Classic coming to Washington?
We received a little clarification about that from Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who wrote in his blog “Ted’s Take” on Tuesday that it won’t be next year.
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“So — to set the record straight — there has NOT been any communication to us on a formal basis as to a Winter Classic coming to DC in a specific year,” Leonsis wrote. “I have been told that the Winter Classic will NOT be coming to DC next year though. I have also been assured that because of the size of our fan base — and the beauty of our city — that a Winter Classic would come to Washington DC; at some point in the future.”
For now, that will have to do. Leonsis has said in the past that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman promised the event would make an appearance here in the near future. That came out of the initial announcement of the 2011 Winter Classic where the Caps traveled to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins. In the past, visiting teams Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have later hosted. It is expected, according to the weekly “30 Thoughts” column penned by CBC’s Elliotte Friedman, that Detroit will join that list by hosting the 2013 Winter Classic. With New York likely unavailable thanks to Yankee Stadium hosting the Pinstripe Bowl through 2014, that could give Washington an opportunity that year. Other candidates out west include Minneapolis, St. Louis and Colorado.
So no guarantees — except that any Winter Classic here won’t be played on the National Mall. According to Leonsis, the cost to build the rink, temporary bleachers, locker room facilities and studio facilities would be prohibitive. The best bet for a local site is still Nationals Park, if all sides could come to an agreement.
– Brian McNally
