I tweeted this weekend that I was over the idea of outdoor games simply because there are so many of them now especially when you throw in the college games as well, but was so excited for the game at Dodger Stadium for the novelty of outdoor hockey in California. The twitter dialog and especially the emails that followed were surely entertaining, but I'm giving a special shout out to @Jim_Kaufman for saying it was a better showcase that the "pointless" All Star Game because he is 100% correct. I don't even miss the All Star Game. Do you?
In a non-Olympic year, it would have been this weekend…quite possibly the reason these Stadium Series games were in fact held this weekend. Worth noting, the final game in this series is held on March 1st in Chicago and coincides with Hockey Weekend Across America with the Heritage Classic in Vancouver taking place the next day. It's also the first weekend after the Olympics and great way to transition the casual fans enamored by the games in Sochi into the awesomeness that is the NHL.
They haven't announced just yet all the pomp and circumstance that will accompany the games in Chicago and Vancouver, but the extras in LA and New York have left some rather big skates to fill. In Los Angeles, KISS killed it on the stage and in the press line saying all the right things to help grow the game, John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting yelling 'Go Kings!' after performing at intermission, the USC Trojan Marching Band, beach volleyball, roller hockey….not to mention the best team in the league putting on a show against their cross town rivals and earning a 3-0 win as Anahiem scooped up two more points in the standings. Speaking of putting on a show…In New York, the Rangers earned two very important points against New Jersey with a 7-3 win at Yankee Stadium. Adding to the spectacle, a performance by The Jersey Boys from Broadway, the fly over during the national anthem, the bag pipers, the auxiliary rink, Lundqvist's pinstripe pads and while the Rockettes couldn't perform at intermission because of the snow, hopefully the weather will cooperate for Wednesday's game…I'm also hoping the NHL has a few more tricks up their sleeve for Wednesday's Take Two Game at Yankee Stadium between the Rangers and Islanders.
The NHL wanted these games to increase revenues and help make up for the what was lost last season due to the lockout. So far, so good on that front, but if that's the reasoning behind it, it's not a far leap to say the end of the All Star Game is near. The NHL would certainly make more money selling 40k+ tickets, not to mention show a better product for a game that actually means something, than 18k for a game that is soft as butter and lacks intensity. Scoring seven goals in a game is fun, but not as fun as when they mean something as we saw with the Rangers last night.
While I still think playing six games outside is a tad much, I'm a fan of taking this party to different markets like they did in LA. I still think Minnesota and Denver are long overdue for an outdoor game, but love that the success of Saturday's game opens the door for outdoor games in Florida/Tampa, Nashville (pretty please, hockey gods!), Arizona, Carolina (pretty please, hockey gods!) and, most importantly, that it provides the opportunity to introduce the game of hockey and the quality of play in the NHL to new fans and for that reason alone, I fully support it and wouldn't complain if these Stadium Series games replaced the All Star Game.
That said, I don't think the All Star Game is going anywhere. While fans across the continent and even from across the pond travel to these outdoor games, the All Star Game is still the only event that celebrates all 30 teams and, if anything, I think we'd see the two ideas combined and much like the KHL did a few years ago, we'd have an outdoor All Star Game.
But what say you….Do you like the plethora of outdoor games? Do you prefer it over the All Star Game? Should the All Star Game disappear?
Julie
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