Another outdoor NHL game coming

[OMMF]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?i...ce=NHLHeadlines

According to league sources, the NHL is planning another outdoor game for the 2007-08 regular season. The date, site and clubs involved were not disclosed.

The sources did indicate the game will likely include at least one American-based team and it will be televised in the U.S. by NBC as part of its regular-season schedule.

The clubs and venue will be determined by stadium availability and logistics, as well as market size (for television purposes).

NHL spokesman Frank Brown had no comment.

In 2003, the league took the game outdoors for the highly successful "Heritage Classic" in Edmonton. A crowd of nearly 60,000 braved sub-zero temperatures at Commonwealth Stadium to see the Oilers skate against the Canadiens.

That game was preceded by a legends tilt, featuring stars such as Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Guy Lafleur. Messier, who at the time was an active member of the New York Rangers, received permission to participate in the special event.

Let's see. What American place could work? Ford Field? Soldier Field? Hmm. It only says it would involve a US team, not necessarily be hosted by one. Detroit v Toronto at SkyDome?

[TBGKon]

Other options might include:

- Red Wings vs. Blackhawks @ Soldier Field

- Islanders/Devils vs. Rangers @ Yankee Stadium

- Red Wings vs. Avalanche @ Invesco Field or Coors Field

- Avalanche vs. Red Wings @ Comerica Park

- Someone vs. Bruins @ Fenway Park (I think hockey has been done there before)

- Someone vs. Bluejackets @ Ohio Stadium (longshot, but its a thought)

- Someone vs. Flyers @ Lincoln Financial Field or Citizens Bank Park

- Someone vs. Penguins @ Heinz Field

[Sodboy13]

Let's see. What American place could work? Ford Field? Soldier Field? Hmm. It only says it would involve a US team, not necessarily be hosted by one. Detroit v Toronto at SkyDome?

If you're looking for outdoor hockey, I'm thinking Ford Field is not your best option.

My list of Most Likely Possibilities (in order of likelihood):

McMahon Stadium - Flames (50K+ guaranteed)

Heinz Field - Penguins (showcase Crosby in front of a massive crowd)

Fenway Park - Bruins (iconic park embraced by media dopes, but relatively small capacity)

Rogers Centre - Maple Leafs (50K+ guaranteed)

Giants Stadium - Rangers (Guaranteed draw, #1 media market)

Invesco/Mile High - Avalanche (60K and crazy, but potentially 3 feet of snow)

Gillette Stadium - Bruins (larger capacity, but without the recognition of Fenway)

Yankee Stadium - Rangers (I sense a Steinbrenner hurdle here)

Comerica Park - Red Wings (a sellout, but perhaps too small at 40K)

Tiger Stadium - Red Wings (still operational, but to what degree?)

Lincoln Financial Field - Flyers (only if they can guarantee a sellout and have a hell of an offseason)

oh... and maybe Ivor Wynne in Hamilton. Ahem.

Soldier Field would be great if this was 1991. Unfortunately, it's 2007, the Blackhawks are irrelevant, and if you can't get 10,000 to see them indoors, you're not getting 60,000 to see them outdoors. Not even with free general admission.

[HedleyLamarr]

I doubt this game will take place on American soil.

[ColeJ]

heaven:

stars/wild in minnesota, outside.

wild in their red faux-backs, stars in 60's garb.

have an old-timers game with both teams in north stars jerseys, randomly assigned. team a and team b, with retired north stars/dallas stars players.

just my personal dream. will never happen

[Joshawaggie]

heaven:

stars/wild in minnesota, outside.

wild in their red faux-backs, stars in 60's garb.

have an old-timers game with both teams in north stars jerseys, randomly assigned. team a and team b, with retired north stars/dallas stars players.

just my personal dream. will never happen

That would be a fun time, for sure... I jsut dont' know where exactly that would happen in Minneapolis/St Paul.

[Frenchie]

I say it has to involve the Red Wings and has to be at Spartan Stadium against an Original 6 team... would attract more "Visitors" if it were the Leafs, especially since you consider the Habs had their chance at it...

Why don't they have 3 of those games on the same day, like Hoceky Day in Canada that covers 3 games:

Leafs - Habs (smaller crowd, but BMO Field would be real cold by the lake - Or McGill Stadium)

Wings - Hawks ( Spartan or Soldier Field)

Rangers - Bruins (Gillette without a doubt)

Unless they want a neutral site... which Kingston or Nova Scotia would deserve, just don't know that they have facilities to accomodate it...

[DEAD!]

The game should be played in...

WINNIPEG!

....after all, the outdoor stadium is the only place big enough to hold and NHL game and you want to tease the Winnipegers in thinking they still have a chance of getting an NHL team

[Roger Clemente]

With global warming moving the start of winter to mid January, you'd probably have to play this game in February if it's in the U.S.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

With global warming moving the start of winter to mid January, you'd probably have to play this game in February if it's in the U.S.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

with a little help from global warming, maybe I'll get to witness an outdoor super bowl here in new york in my life time, since it tends to be monopolized by the SEC states, california and domes.

speaking of SEC country, maybe we can have Bolts/Panthers at Dolphin Stadium?

[hormone]

In all honesty, and this probably sounds dumb, but does a big wind effect hockey? Could it put a weird spin on a long slapper?

IMO, the game isn't played outdoors and the league should focus on putting on a winning, exciting, affordable product for a whole season for a whole league instead of these one off gimmicks.

It's sad that I can TiVo the finals, go to work, listen to the radio, watch TV and then wait until later to watch the game without ever hearing the results or any talk of it. Girls softball and guys lacrosse is getting more play right now than the NHL.

This hurts to type it, but I think the sports world is like this right now

1. NBA playoffs

2. MLB

3. NASCAR

4. NFL mini-camps

5. College baseball

6. Arena football

7. College softball

8. College lacrosse

9. What Bengal is in trouble

10. Tennis

11.. NHL FINALS. This ain't gonna cut it with or without an outdoor game. This isn't an ESPN conspiracy, they just are showing what people want to watch.

[VitaminD]

Why is everyone overlooking Buffalo? Ya know, that city on the lake... lake effect snow 10 feet high... cold from October through April... practically in Canada... team won the President's Trophy, best-selling merchandise in the league despite being saddled with a logo...

I'd love to see this happen in the US. The Twin Cities would be perfect for this, has they not plowed the Met under. Gillette Stadium is also a decent idea for a Bruins game - if paired with a good college game (outdoor Beanpot?), they could sell a lot of tickets.

As for Philadelphia, I'd bet that the novelty alone would get people to fill the Linc (or at least Citizens' Bank Park... you'd only need to sell 45,000 at CBP v. 70,000+ for a hockey game at the Linc). The problem is, the weather in Philadelphia can be a little too variable for an outdoor hockey game. Sure, it gets bitter cold here, but in recent years, we've had some awfully mild winters. Geographically, Philadelphia sits between the mountains and the ocean, and on a river not far from the ocean. We don't get the lake effect snows that hit Buffalo and the Great Lakes because the mountains keep it away from us and channel it up toward New England. We also have all that water with warm ocean breezes to keep things a little milder than a lot of the Northeast. The only snow we get is whatever comes up from the Southeast, on the east side of the Appalachians. Climatologically, Philadelphia really isn't any better an option than Washington, DC. Since no one is proposing a game at FedEx Field, I'd have to think Philadelphia is not the great choice some are making it out to be.

[RyanMcD29]

Last year they were considering Islanders-Rangers at Yankee Stadium, so I'm hoping it's this

[CC97]

This hurts to type it, but I think the sports world is like this right now

there's a difference between "world" and "american"

[VitaminD]

This hurts to type it, but I think the sports world is like this right now

1. NBA playoffs

2. MLB

3. NASCAR

4. NFL mini-camps

5. College baseball

6. Arena football

7. College softball

8. College lacrosse

9. What Bengal is in trouble

10. Tennis

11.. NHL FINALS. This ain't gonna cut it with or without an outdoor game. This isn't an ESPN conspiracy, they just are showing what people want to watch.

Really? According to whom or to what?

6. Arena football is on the upswing, but a lot of that is due to the ESPN hype machine, which is now in overdrive since they have a more personal stake in seeing the AFL do well. But by and large, it's still largely viewed as a gimmick, or a bastardized version of the outdoor game.

7. Please tell me you're joking. Show me where college softball has many of its regular season games aired on national TV, then show me numbers to prove that anyone is watching. I was working last night, and our hospital has decent, but not great, cable. When the women's college softball game came on, I settled for 2 hours of MSNBC's "Lockup" documentaries about American prisons instead of subjecting myself to softball.

10. Again, please tell me you're not serious. Even right now, in the middle of a Grand Slam tournament, no one cares. There's one American left playing, the best 2 men's players in the world are Swiss and Spanish, the best women's players are all leggy interchangeable Eastern Europeans with "funny names", and the American dominance of tennis that spanned most of the last 2-3 decades is on the decline. Like with a lot of sports outside the Big 4, if we didn't invent it, or aren't the best in the world at it, we don't care. Roger Federer is as bland as cream of wheat served lukewarm. He may be the best thing to wear tennis whites... well, ever, but that doesn't mean people are captivated. Nobody watches Tim Duncan's flawless execution of fundamentals, either. And if Americans aren't watching foreigners during one of the 4 marquee events, I wonder how many people watch the ATP event in Pörtschach, Austria 2 weeks ago, or how many people are on pins and needles thinking about the tourneys in Indianapolis, Cincinnati or New Haven.

It's one thing to be despondent that a great sport is going unnoticed by most Americans who can't think outside of what ESPN tells them to watch. But hey - there's no accounting for taste. Things will work themselves out down here, and the game is fine north of the border, I suspect...

[hormone]

Sorry about that post. Most was supposed to be in jest. I was just saying how poorly hockey is treated and viewed. Heck, look at something like the ESPN News bottom line and what the major networks choose to show. Sorry to offend anyone. I just feel their marketing campaigns and focuses are way off.

[NoHoJoe]

Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium in December 2008...Rangers vs Islanders at Shea, Rangers vs Devil at Yankee Stadium

[Don]

Montreal vs Boston at Percival Molson Stadium. Original 6 rivalry game, America vs Canada, enough said! if i thought ice could be generated here enough to play a game i'd suggest Caps vs Penguins at FedEx, but that stadium seats 95,000 people, it would look like a joke, not that regular game nights at Verizon dont anyway.

[MisterE]

heaven:

stars/wild in minnesota, outside.

wild in their red faux-backs, stars in 60's garb.

have an old-timers game with both teams in north stars jerseys, randomly assigned. team a and team b, with retired north stars/dallas stars players.

just my personal dream. will never happen

That would be a fun time, for sure... I jsut dont' know where exactly that would happen in Minneapolis/St Paul.

They could have it at the Gophers' new stadium in a couple years.

[maz]

homerisim aside... Pittsburgh.

Team of the future and fanbase that will definately fill most of the 70k seats at Heinz Field. And it does usually get really cold here. {Any Pittsburghians here remember that week this year when the temperature barely went above 5 degrees?}

And a better place than Heinz Field is PNC Park. Sure you only have about 20k seats {still more than Mellon Arena} but you do have the skyline.