Whether it is "fair or not, the perception around the hockey world is that there is a distinct lack of buzz" surrounding this year's Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, according to Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. On social media, much of the early discussion for the Jan. 1 Blackhawks-Capitals game has been around the "seemingly slow build of enthusiasm for an event that has been a major draw for NHL sponsors, hundreds of thousands of fans at the event and a huge television audience." It is "hard to tell" if this assessment is meaningful though, and "to be fair, the NHL is just now swinging into major event mode." Part of the issue facing the league is that the event "has become so successful and created such distinct memories that the challenge to raise the bar ever higher every year becomes daunting." Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis said that there was a "conscious decision" on the part of the team to "not ask too much" of its fan base. But Leonsis noted that the club "will have sold more tickets to a Winter Classic than any other home team save one." Burnside wrote there are many factors that could be "contributing to the lack of buzz," including "the lack of history between the two teams." There also is Nationals Park, which "has hosted almost no iconic events, baseball or otherwise," and the "change to the popular 'Road To The NHL Winter Classic' reality series this year," which has moved from HBO to Epix. The series can serve as a "vital catalyst to revving up interest in the Winter Classic," but "if it's not at its best ... it's merely dead air with little appeal to fans of any ilk" (ESPN.com, 12/16).
ON THE OPEN ROAD: ESPN.com's Scott Powers wrote Epix' first episode for "Road to the Winter Classic," which premiered Tuesday, is "done well and lives up to the standard set by HBO's sports by documentaries." It is "certainly worth watching" (ESPN.com, 12/17). SPORTS ON EARTH's Joe Delessio wrote fans "could be forgiven for being nervous" that the show is "no longer being produced by HBO Sports." So it is a relief the premiere "was promising, if not perfect." The show "got off on the wrong foot" with an early segment "that might as well have been cooked up by the league's PR team" on why Capitals RW Alexander Ovechkin's critics are wrong about him. A show like this "straddles the line between journalistic endeavor and marketing vehicle," but it "shortly began to hit the notes that made [HBO's] 24/7 so great in the first place." The production value "is a half-a-step down from the HBO version -- the music isn't quite as good, and Bill Camp's narration doesn't quite compare to Liev Schreiber's." But as far as content goes, Epix' version "mostly carries on what 24/7 had established" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 12/17). In DC, Scott Allen noted many were "curious to see how Epix would handle" cursing on the show. There were "no f-bombs for the first 15 minutes of the first episode, and then there were about a dozen in the next five minutes." Meanwhile, Leonsis "made a brief appearance" and talked about Ovechkin (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/17).
