Now the Winter Classic is gone.
The NHL seems intent on tearing down its season piece by piece, and cancelling the Winter Classic (source: NHL.com) between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium is its latest piece of demolition.
Approximately 115,000 fans (source: New York Times) were expected to attend the game, which has become a treasured property for the NHL.
The NHL first started playing the outdoor game on New Year’s Day in 2008 when the Buffalo Sabres hosted Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
The game, played in typical Buffalo winter weather, had the look of a hockey scene inside a snow globe.
It was ethereal and romantic. There were 71,217 fans in attendance, and they clearly loved the environment.
The league sold the game as going back to the sport’s roots.
Many hockey players had skated outdoors as youngsters and certainly so had many fans. Taking one game on New Year’s Day and playing it outdoors was an attempt to draw fans to the game.
They had a notio ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
NHL Winter Classic Cancelled: Is the Future of the Classic in Doubt?
November 2nd, 2012 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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