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Winter Classic on thin ice

WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:23 AM EST 28/12/07

Scheduling event for New Year's Day is a big risk ratings-wise ...Read the full article

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  1. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: I'd be more impressed if they played the game on the Niagra River...

    Watching a high shot go over the falls (eventually) would be kewl :)
  2. J K GALBRAITH from Canada writes: While it is difficult to have confidence in the NHL and its marketing approach, one hopes that NBC with all its experience in sports knows something the rest of us don't by having the game on New Year's Day.
    However, relying solely on channel surfers to catch people's attention does not instill a lot of confidence particularly when as noted in the article, they are competing with big name college football teams in the key American markets.
  3. Gary Dare from Portland, Oregon, Canada, writes: NBC can kill two birds with one stone since a) they have no other sports to show against NCAA bowl games on ABC, CBS, etc. and b) if this US Classic tanks, it adds to their case to not renew the NHL for another season. NBC is already downsizing this year's coverage, showing only one game per week over nine weekends rather than two games per week over six weekends.
  4. J. Reaves from Toronto, writes: The sooner ESPN is back doing live NHL broadcasts, the better. But how interested is Commissioner Bettman to facilitate this?
  5. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: So the Americans would rather watch a bunch of phony students playing football in these mindless bowl games that lead to some made up championship that mean squat, over a great event like the Ice Bowl in Buffalo will be?

    And it seems some up here are apalled at the fact the NHL is trying to do this on New Years day against this mindless phony student football? LIke how dare they?

    To me its the Americans loss if they won't watch the Ice bowl. But it will still be a great event. I mean hockey fans will care. And thats all that should matter. Who cares what the guy in Alabamie thinks??
  6. Henry Allen from East Bank, Don River, Canada writes: Gary Dare, I think you've made a good analysis of NBC's approach to this outdoor stadium game. If NBC's ratings fall short, as I expect will happen, you can be assured that NHL Commish Gary Butthead will try to put out a strangely twisted spin to make the poor ratings appear positive. I look forward to Butthead's postgame fairy tale. For any Canadian who doesn't get the importance of the college bowl games to Americans, imagine the US trying to persuade Canadians to watch a US college football game at the same time Team Canada is playing in the gold medal game at the World Junior Championship. Butthead is going to prove once again that he has no clue about how to get the NHL into a profitable US TV contract.

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