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The Magic of the Winter Classic ...Just Another Bargaining Chip.

October 31, 2012, 2:34 PM ET [193 Comments]
Eklund
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For those of us who have supported this game since the days before Cable TV and the Internet it is almost unfathomable to think the NHL, a league which hasn't hit many homeruns in their day, is about to cut off the one true "magic in a bottle" event they have come up with.

Having been to all the Winter Classics I can tell you they are fantastic celebrations of the sport and they transcend all this BS. They are beautifully orchestrated and they are run flawlessly. The event and hype leading up to it are the closest the NHL can ever come to the Super Bowl. The chance for the community to come out and skate on the rink and the alumni games, and the generally awesome allure it brings to a city are so incredible... It is a case where the game speaks for itself.

When the game arrives and you sit in a stadium with 40-70 thousand hockey fans you get a real scope for it all.. There were years here in America, scratch that DECADES, where my friends would tell me how the NHL had the 17,000 fans that went to the games and nothing else. I would argue that point until I was blue in the face with one friend who was a huge football fan.

Then I sat in Buffalo for the first Classic, with the snow coming down and 70,000 + fans and I took a picture on my phone and I texted it to my old buddy along with the simple message "CHECK. MATE."

Since the last lockout I have been crazy lucky to have attended some amazing hockey games. I have been at every Cup winning game and some incredible playoff games. I saw the Flyers come back from 3-0 in the series and 3-0 in Game 7. I attended and covered every Team USA and Team Canada game in Vancouver and I was there when Parise tied it and later when Crosby won it.

But of all those events...nothing compared to the first Winter Classic. It was so incredible to see 70,000+ fans freezing. The snow falling. And still to this day the only time I have seen an entire press box actually cheering for their sides when the shootout happened. The press, usually stoic and professional, became kids again.

So yes...I love this game.

And yet, tomorrow or possibly Friday, the NHL will cancel this game in because they simply are out of time and don't want to waste the Leafs and Wings in the Big House unless they can do it right. I am told the same venue/ teams will be there next year...

The NHL also believes that Donald Fehr has told the players the NHL's best deal will come before they cancel this game. The NHL wants to show the PA that one game is not above the entire season...

So that's what this great and wonderful event has become...another chip...

As I am writing this the news is breaking that NY City Mayor Bloomberg is about to ban passenger cars from entering NY City. Wow. How about some frigging compassion and perspective from the owners and players. We could REALLY us a little hockey right about now.

As the NHL and NHLPA fight over how to get to 50/50 many of the leagues fans fight for their homes and futures. This is absurd.
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