The Indians Thursday announced the return of Snow Days, the winter carnival the team held last year at Progressive Field, but with the addition of a regulation-size hockey rink and a Jan. 15 outdoor hockey game between Ohio State and Michigan at the ballpark. "Having this event, bringing more people to downtown Cleveland, was a big plus last year, and we think having this game is going to be a terrific enhancement," said Indians President Mark Shapiro. In addition to the hockey rink, the second iteration of Snow Days will again feature snow tubing, an ice-skating track and children's play areas. The initial five-week run of Snow Days between Thanksgiving and Jan. 2, 2011, drew more than 50,000 people and generated an undisclosed, high six-figure sum of revenue not subject to MLB revenue-sharing rules. In addition to the public sessions each day for Snow Days, the Indians will rent out the temporary ice rink to private groups, providing a lucrative source of additional income similarly exploited by Fenway Sports Group before and after the '10 NHL Winter Classic in Boston. The regulation-size rink at Progressive Field will force a relocation of the "Batterhorn" snow tubing hill. Last year's configuration started in center field and moved in toward the infield, while the redesign will start the hill near the left-field foul pole and move toward center field. The rink itself will start near home plate and extend down the first base line toward right field (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal). The Indians "expect the hockey game to draw a capacity crowd at Progressive Field, which will seat close to the maximum of just more than 43,000 for the contest" (MLB.com, 8/11). In Cleveland, Mary Schmitt Boyer notes there have been "reports of a large youth hockey tournament, as well as rumors of a possible test event between high school powers St. Edward and St. Ignatius a week before the Frozen Diamond Faceoff, but the Indians could not confirm those events on Thursday" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/12).
