Conditions for the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium "were just about perfect" with gray skies and cold temperatures, but "not so cold to ruin the party," according to Steve Conroy of the BOSTON HERALD. The Bruins had a "big hand in producing the least competitive Winter Classic in the game’s eight-year history," losing 5-1 to the Canadiens in front of 67,246 fans. Bruins coach Claude Julien said, "We played our worst game at the worst time" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/2). In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont noted the game was a "party, a happening, of epic propotions." The event itself "again was a success." The stands "were full" and "served as a reminder" that Boston remains a hockey town (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/2). The NHL has "nailed the Classic to near perfection since its debut" in '08. The Kraft family’s green acres "worked wonderfully," and over two days, "just less than 110,000 hockey-mad fans came streaming down Route 1 and rollicked in the festivities." The site "worked," and the construction and ice surface "performed right to textbook specs." What this event "will never get right, however, is the scale of the mind’s eye for watching hockey." It will forever "be an awkward, if not impossible, fit in terms of an even serviceable 'in-arena' viewing experience." There is no "denying that the entire Classic event is a celebration of the sport, which is why it continues to be a fan success and huge dollar draw" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/2). In Boston, Fluto Shinzawa noted the Winter Classic Alumni game was played Thursday "before 42,193 fans." Hockey HOFer Ray Bourque said, "I was thinking 20,000 or 30,000 would be fantastic. ... But you saw a big crowd out there. The atmosphere was great" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/3).
GREAT SUCCESS: In Boston, Christopher Gasper added the game was the "most-lopsided Classic skate to date." The game has "become a circle-the-date sporting event, which is remarkable for what is still just a regular-season hockey game." The NHL has "figured out how to get fans to flock to a game where they’re farther away from the ice and the product is slower." That is the "secret of the Winter Classic -- it’s a hockey game that is about everything but the hockey game." It is a "made-for-TV event," and the only thing that "went wrong for the NHL was that the snow came after the game." Gasper: "The Winter Classic is a great event. It is great for hockey, even if it’s not great hockey" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/2). Shinzawa wrote there is "no stopping the Winter Classic." Nothing has "rivaled the artistry of its Buffalo debut" in '08, but the spectacle is "still good enough to continue well into the future." The Bruins should not "expect another invitation soon," as they "turned Friday’s event into a dud." It is "never good when the best moments happen before the game" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/2). In Boston, Stephen Harris wrote, "On our list of problems with these outdoor games -- a list topped by the NHL’s avaricious ticket prices and fans’ bizarre willingness to be swindled -- is the possibility that a single game like the Winter Classic can have a longer-term impact on the playoff race: One team gets an enormous emotional lift, the other risks going into a tailspin" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/3). Also in Boston, Chris Mason noted everything leading up to the Winter Classic "gave it the feel of a playoff game" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/3).
WHAT A SPECTACLE: In Montreal, Stu Cowan wrote the Winter Classic "really is a show." Cowan: "It was special. It was different. When you're there in person it really is an 'event.'" Everything "worked perfect on this day" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 1/2). Canadiens Owner, President & CEO Geoff Molson, "It’s such a big event and millions of people are watching, especially in North America. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s the Super Bowl, but it’s definitely a game you know everyone’s watching and you know you want to try and win it." He added of possibly hosting the event, "We’ve thought about it. There’s a stadium there called Molson Stadium, which holds 24,000 people, so it’s not quite big enough. The Big O is closed ... it’s indoors. ... So, if we were to host a Winter Classic it would have to be in an outdoor stadium that we built temporarily. And we did that for a U2 concert maybe three or four years ago with success." Molson added, "I think it’s a wonderful event, gives people a chance to be outdoors in the tens of thousands and to experience the game a little bit differently. And I didn’t see anybody that wasn’t having any fun. So it was pretty exciting" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 1/2).
SHOWS ON THE ROAD: ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun reported the Maple Leafs "are the front-runner to host" the '17 Winter Classic for their centennial season. However, sources said that "it’s not a done deal." There is "concern in some league circles that Toronto’s sports market could be saturated" in late '16, with the World Cup of Hockey in September, the CFL Grey Cup in November and part of the IIHF World Junior Championship in late December/early January. The internal debate at the league office right now "is whether Toronto should instead get a Stadium Series outdoor game later in the season to distance it from those events" (ESPN.com, 1/1). NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, "We've talked about Lambeau Field, about Notre Dame, about Penn State, about West Point. We are always being pitched with ideas about doing some new and different things. Some of them are feasible and some not so much." In Green Bay, Doug Schneider reported a Stadium Series game at Lambeau in February "is much more likely than a Jan. 1 event." Packers Dir of Public Affairs Aaron Popkey said that the team "would not open Lambeau to hockey" until after the season. Popkey said, "Football takes precedence at Lambeau Field" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/1).
LITTLE GREEN MEN: In Boston, Adam Himmelsbach notes Celtics President Rich Gotham and Red Sox President Sam Kennedy "have had cursory discussions in recent years about the Celtics playing at Fenway Park." Gotham said, "I’ve gotten into it. I really do like the idea. I think if you can find a way to sort of differentiate the game and make it fun for fans, that’s a great thing." Gotham said that he and Kennedy "had informal conversations about a Fenway game a few years ago, and that the idea reemerged as recent events, such as the Boston College-Notre Dame football game, took place there." Gotham said that the "main and obvious obstacles are weather and scheduling," as the Celtics "certainly would not play at Fenway in the dead of winter." A preseason game "would probably be the safest route for at least an initial trial" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/4).
