NHL Winter Classic LD

[Coco]

I don't watch much hockey, but I happened to turn on my cable at the start of CBC's coverage. The Wonderwall video package was cool. So was Don Cherry's grand entrance. Everything about the presentation feels big, right down to the Detroit coaching staff's outfits.

Is this as awesome as it looks? 'Cause it looks amazing.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Yeah, it is. Buddy of mine is there now and said it's just an incredible turn out.

The NHL always does these things so well. Every WC they've done to date has been amazing.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Could use a goal or two soon here, though. National audience needs scoring, not defense.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Ice-level shot shared by the Leafs:

 

[Coco]

Anecdotal: The spectacle is more than keeping my attention.

Though I imagine you're probably right regarding the NBC audience needing something to pique their interest.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The Bruins were involved in an equally "boring" low-scoring outdoor game a couple years ago, and from what I remember, the ratings dipped as the game went on. Say what you will about the attention span of American fans, but we need scoring to keep the interest level high. These defensive chess match games, even to a die-hard hockey fan like me, are still last on the list of the types of games I want to see.

 

[Coco]

That's fair. I'm a wrestling fan. I understand that hunger for drama.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Yeah, a low-scoring, defensive hockey game is like sitting through a 15-20 minute segment where it's nothing but promo/chatter. It might be decent, but come on — as Jackie Moon once quipped, "Somebody hit somebody!"

 

[It's Damn Real!]

As if goals weren't hard enough to come by in this game, now you're going to review this one? Let it stand! PLAY!

 

[justinsayne]

I'm still skeptical of them doing an outdoors game in LA later this month, that ice is going to be shit, & likely going to slow the game down as a result.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I'm still skeptical of them doing an outdoors game in LA later this month, that ice is going to be shit, & likely going to slow the game down as a result.

All depends on the weather and how well they take care of the ice the week leading up to the game.

Believe it or not, you can actually play in warm weather for quite a while before the ice really suffers. The Rangers and Kings played outdoors in Las Vegas in 1991 in September without an issue, for example.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

JVR, robbed twice earlier in the game, finally scores! Third times a charm.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

It's like a low-scoring baseball game. As big of a baseball fan that I am, it's nuts to sit through a 1-0 game with 12 strikeouts per team. Give me a reasonable amount of offense and a home run or two and we're good.

In hockey, a couple of good shots on goal and some going through - coupled with some good ol' fashioned violence - can make for great hockey.

 

[jmt225]

The Winter Olympics will bring us bandwagon fans back for a little while.

 

[Coco]

Not I. Seeing everyone else pretending to care about sports for two weeks normally puts me off.

Sure, I'll occasionally pretend to care. But I'll do it on my own schedule rather than sync up with the riff-raff!