Are the NHL outdoor games still must-see TV?
The plan here for New Year’s Day was about the same as it has been for the last couple of years: Curl up into a ball and watch the first of the NHL outdoor games until the NYE-induced champagne headache finally faded.
A couple years ago, there was a sizable amount of people that did the exact same thing. Were as many viewers tuning in this year? It’s a fair question to ask, given the general perception that the NHL’s outdoor games have lost a bit of their wonder over the past couple of years. Sports Media Watch reported last February that the cluster of Winter Classics at the start of 2016 didn’t garner as many viewers.
Now with the highly-publicized and weather-plagued Centennial Classic and Winter Classic newly in the rearview mirror, we take a look at how they faired. Did this year’s slate of hockey games in football stadiums live up to their hype? Or have the NHL’s outdoor games were going the way of the NFL games in London – so common that they are starting to lose their luster.
From the looks of the first two tilts, the event is alive and well. And was the most entertaining it has been in years.
For starters, there were more than just specialty jerseys to watch this year. Both games featured darn good hockey, so hopefully fans were already tuned in as not to miss the action. An energizing third period push in not one, but both tilts was worth the viewing time alone. One of the biggest turn-offs has been that the games haven’t been as good over the last couple seasons. 2017 was an exception.
Interest in New Years Day’s Centennial Classic between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings was surely pumped up due to Toronto’s young corps of players. So it became fitting when Auston Matthews emerged as the hero of the day. After Detroit notched three goals in the final stretch of the third frame to push the game to overtime – yes, 3-on-3 OT outside! – Matthew’s brilliant game-winning shot is sure to be on highlight reels for seasons to come.
Something similar happened in the January 2 game between the Blackhawks and Blues in St. Louis, with Vladimir Taraseko going off in the final frame to bury two goals and give the Blues their first outdoor game victory. That also gave Chicago its fourth loss in outdoor play, but we can talk about how bad the Blackhawks are at playing outside another time.
On the subject of both games being outside, weather played a big role in both locations. The Centennial tilt in Toronto was delayed 30 minutes due to sun on the ice being ruled a safety hazard. (And anyone who has been to an outdoor game will tell you, the glare off that ice when the sun is out can be brutal.) While that wasn’t so “entertaining” it at least let fans sleep in a little extra on New Year’s Day and not miss any of the hockey action. At Busch Stadium, on the other hand, the official puck drop wasn’t announced until game day because of rain and thunderstorms in the area. The game did end up starting on time, although it included some broadcast desk interviews with umbrellas.
The plethora of NHL alumni that was seen throughout the weekend had to have been enough to make more fans tune in. The Blues’ lineup in the Alumni Game was something out of a fairytale: Martin Brodeur back between the pipes, Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis on the blue line, and a forward line of Wayne Gretzky, Adam Oates and Brett Hull. (You don’t have to be a Blues fan to have have gotten school kid-style giddy just to see “Hull and Oates” back together.) Heck, even watching Brett and father Bobby stand awkwardly without the puck for the ceremonial puck drop was worth a hearty chuckle.
So does this mean that the NHL’s stint of putting ice rinks in the middle of football stadiums and ballparks is back to being the must-see spectacle that it was a couple years back?
To be fair, it is worth waiting until the full ratings are reported to know for sure if the New Years games did the trick, but the overnights show an uptick in viewers. And we can’t forget that there is still one outdoor game to go – the Stadium Series in February, when we get to watch the Flyers and Penguins kick the snot out of each other under the Heinz Field lights in Pittsburgh.
But in preparation for next year, here’s to hoping that the NHL bottled up whatever magic was at the Centennial Classic and Winter Classic games so they can inject it into outdoor games to come.
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