The State of Outdoor Hockey

[Szechwan]

They have the belief that US markets won’t tune in for Canadian games. It’s silly, but it is what it is.

I suspect the multi-billion dollar league likely had some robust marketing data to support that, if it is in fact their position.

I agree with @qc14 though, at this point the value is not the broadcast, but the fan experience. I hope they continue, I just hope they hit other markets.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

As always, these events are not for a national TV audience -- they are for local fans who attend the games. The three outdoor games I've been to have been some of the most fun I've ever had at sporting events and I highly recommend anyone go to them if their team is playing.

As for why they haven't been to Montreal specifically -- my guess is that there is no good stadium for a game there. The Olympic Stadium would be a shitty venue even if it didn't have a dome, and Saputo and Molson both have sub-25k capacity.

No these games are 100% for a national audience. Why did they move the Winter Classic to NYE in the most recent game and are moving it to January 2nd next year ? The TV ratings....

These games are fun for the fans and they always show up. I've been to 2 outdoor games and had a blast at both. I like the fact they do 2 or 3 of them a year but they lost their luster a bit to the national audience. As long as they keep doing them they are pretty much a guarantee to sell out but neutral fans aren't really tuning into them like they were 5-10 years ago. That's why the Winter Classic keeps being altered.

 

[LokiDog]

This 100%. It's overdone, now, to the point that people are fairly numb to it. Much like the all-star game.

Going forward, just make the ASG outdoors and skip the winter classic.

 

[Section 104]

Elliotte Friedman said recently on his “32 Thoughts” column that he has been to 20 of them and every host city has always been enthusiastic and pumped up. So is that so bad that people say the NHL must get rid of them to satisfy them? I have avoided going to the ones in the New York City market because I don’t like being outside in the cold for four hours. But they have drawn well.
Of course it’s a money grab. They charge admission and the players (and everyone else) gets paid

 

[qc14]

No these games are 100% for a national audience. Why did they move the Winter Classic to NYE in the most recent game and are moving it to January 2nd next year ? The TV ratings....

These games are fun for the fans and they always show up. I've been to 2 outdoor games and had a blast at both. I like the fact they do 2 or 3 of them a year but they lost their luster a bit to the national audience. As long as they keep doing them they are pretty much a guarantee to sell out but neutral fans aren't really tuning into them like they were 5-10 years ago. That's why the Winter Classic keeps being altered.

They moved it to NYE and Jan 2nd to avoid directly competing with the CFP. A pretty smart business/grow the game decision that I'm told the NHL is incapable of doing

 

[Ghost of Murph]

What's the problem if fans are showing up and having fun, and money is being made? Yeah, the novelty has worn off as far as viewing the games on TV, but it's still NHL hockey. Local fan bases seem to enjoy the games when their cities are chosen to host.

 

[snag]

Outdoor hockey is doing great here......but it is sooooʻ f***ing cold right now -34C feels like -41

 

[hirawl]

We have 1312 regular season games and maybe 10 of those is either an outdoor game or an overseas game where they cater especially to the local fanbase. With pre-day and pre-game events and other extra stuff. Fun things mainly. Some cool shit even.

But that's just not acceptable! It's too much, it's a watered down experience, no one even cares anymore! Just give us our anthem renditions and our tv timeouts and military appreciation nights and refs-you-sucks. And don't you forget our between periods interviews of I-mean-we-just-gotta-play-our-game-and-put-the-puck-behind-their-d-and-go-from-theres. It's hockey man. Seriously.

 

[wolfgaze]

The sightlines are not good for all the fans viewing the video broadcast. I feel like the novelty of the outdoor games wore off (for me) after year 2 or 3 of having them.