How can you not love the NHL's Winter Classic? It's an exciting day, with national TV coverage, pomp and circumstance, all coupled with the beauty of outdoor hockey.
And the massive media coverage makes the Winter Classic feel at least as important as a Bowl game.
It's huge for the NHL.
But taking the media attention and aesthetic beauty out of the equation, the Winter Classic is also a celebration of hockey's outdoor roots. Thousands upon thousands of players grew up learning the game outside. The Winter Classic helps pay tribute to all of the people who don't get to play hockey in rinks.
So why doesn't the NHL finish the tribute?
If part of the Winter Classic is to pay tribute to the spirit of pond hockey, why not open it up, the way pond hockey is open?
Most people playing outdoor hockey aren't playing on a regulation sheet of ice. They're probably playing on a frozen body of water that's much larger. And there's a good change the games aren't played five-on-five. In fact, the number of players on the ice at any given moment depends on who's available to play. It could be seven-on-seven or it could be three- ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steven Ovadia
NHL: Winter Classic Needs to Be Open Air AND Open Ice
January 1st, 2010 by Steven Ovadia Leave a reply »
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