by Christopher BottaFiled under: Rangers, Red Wings, Winter Classic
PITTSBURGH -- The NHL Winter Classic began with a triumphant trial match in Buffalo in 2008. Then the league made the event as much about the venue, taking the game the next two seasons to iconic Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. This New Year's Day game turns the focus back to the stars of the sport, with Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals and Sidney Crosby of the Penguins battling at Heinz Field.
In contrast, perhaps the most dramatic element of the 2012 NHL Winter Classic won't be the game, but the decision on the host stadium and the participants. There are no clear-cut, obvious destinations or franchises. However, there can be some reasonable assumptions:
1. The star power of Ovechkin and Crosby, Wrigley and Fenway, will not be matched: The NHL has likely already accepted this. So should the fans and national broadcast partners.
2. The New York Rangers are going to be in a Winter Classic soon: The Rangers do not have a transcendent star, but they do play in the country's biggest market. Under coach John Tortorella, the hockey team may not yet be a Stanley Cup contender but is playing well enough to be back in the Winter Classic conversation. The still-rebuilding Islanders and fallen-and-can't-get-up New Jersey Devils are likely judged as not quite ready for prime time in the eyes of the league.
Yankee Stadium is out, since Bronx Bombers management made the decision to sign a long-term contract to host the new Pinstripe Bowl college football game played on Dec. 30, this year between Kansas State and Syracuse. The Mets' ballfield, CitiField, does not have ideal sightlines for an outdoor hockey game. The New Meadowlands Stadium, home of the NFL's Giants and Jets, would work better, but how do you play there and not include the New Jersey Devils? You don't, which is why the Rangers might have to be the visiting team, which brings us to ...
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