Pens/Caps Get Next Winter Classic - in Pittsburgh

[danefan]

Caps-Pens was the most-watched Winter Classic ever with 4.5 million viewers, up 22 percent from last year. It was the most-watched NHL regular-season game in 36 years, according to NBC.

HBO had something to do with that. The only reason I watched was because the HBO 24/7 Series got me interested.

[bandl]

HBO had something to do with that. The only reason I watched was because the HBO 24/7 Series got me interested.

But many people don't have HBO.

It all comes down to Ovie vs. Crosby, Cap vs. Pens....the NHL has been marketing the shit out of this rivalry recently, as they should be.

I can't tell you how many times I saw the Winter Classic commercial on NBC over the past few weeks, with Ovie/Crosby the only players standing on the ice on Heinz Field. I actually got a little sick of it.

[danefan]

HBO had something to do with that. The only reason I watched was because the HBO 24/7 Series got me interested.

But many people don't have HBO.

It all comes down to Ovie vs. Crosby, Cap vs. Pens....the NHL has been marketing the shit out of this rivalry recently, as they should be.

I can't tell you how many times I saw the Winter Classic commercial on NBC over the past few weeks, with Ovie/Crosby the only players standing on the ice on Heinz Field. I actually got a little sick of it.

They were getting about 3 million viewers per episode on HBO

http://blogs.forbes.com/mikeozanian/201 ... scapitals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[89Hen]

Rutgers Stadium is bigger than Yankee stadium

True, but with 70,000 there this year, I can't imagine they would go to a smaller venue unless there it carried some special meaning or that's all that was available.

Boston - Gillette will be next
NYC - Yankee Stadium or Meadowlands
Buffalo - Ralph
Philly - Linc
Pittsburgh - Heinz
DC - FedEx, maybe Nationals (comically people have suggested the National Mall )
Detroit - US Cellular or Big House
Chicago - Soldier is next
Minnesota - Gopher Stadium
Denver - Invesco
Columbus - The Shoe
St. Louis - Busch

BTW, I would rather go to Heinz again, than have it at FedEx right here in DC. It takes almost the same amount of time to get home (I'm not kidding) and the set-up in Pittsburgh is 1000x better than the piece of shit in Landover.

[bandl]

But many people don't have HBO.

It all comes down to Ovie vs. Crosby, Cap vs. Pens....the NHL has been marketing the shit out of this rivalry recently, as they should be.

I can't tell you how many times I saw the Winter Classic commercial on NBC over the past few weeks, with Ovie/Crosby the only players standing on the ice on Heinz Field. I actually got a little sick of it.

They were getting about 3 million viewers per episode on HBO

http://blogs.forbes.com/mikeozanian/201 ... scapitals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cool. I'm just saying that if the 24/7 series included chump teams, like the Islanders and Panthers, their numbers would have been a fraction of that. HBO/NBC/NHL all did the right thing by marketing the poop out of this rivalry. Anyone who pays even on iota of attention to the NHL knows this is the best rivalry going right now.

[danefan]

They were getting about 3 million viewers per episode on HBO

http://blogs.forbes.com/mikeozanian/201 ... scapitals/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cool. I'm just saying that if the 24/7 series included chump teams, like the Islanders and Panthers, their numbers would have been a fraction of that. HBO/NBC/NHL all did the right thing by marketing the poop out of this rivalry. Anyone who pays even on iota of attention to the NHL knows this is the best rivalry going right now.

Maybe you're right, but I think HBO's real draw was getting the casual or non-NHL fans like myself interested in the game. I really didn't care who was in the game. I was just interested in the story lines playing out that were set up by HBO. The show works the same way for me with boxing. And Hard Knocks.

[bandl]

"Shitbums" - Bodreau

"Fuck this Shitburgh team" - Ovechkin

"______" (silence, after getting hit and hit and hit again, without complaint) - Green

"Wah wah wah wah, he hit me, he touched me, my vag hurts, make them stop hitting me!" - Crosby

[89Hen]

Damn it. I don't have HBO so I have to wait until the final episode gets posted on YouTube. Did they have any coverage from the Wednesday practice at Chevy Chase? That's where I coach.

[bandl]

Damn it. I don't have HBO so I have to wait until the final episode gets posted on YouTube. Did they have any coverage from the Wednesday practice at Chevy Chase? That's where I coach.

Not sure, I only caught the end of it which showed the game and locker room afterwards (I think I caught a Bud Light in there ). I DVR'd it though so I'm going to watch the whole thing tonight.

Do you mean that they practiced in Chevy Chase, MD instead of their practice facility in Arlington, VA?

[89Hen]

Does this guy know something nobody else knows?...

http://www.statecollege.com/news/column ... ld-621381/

Next up for Pittsburgh? Hosting the NCAA’s Frozen Four in 2013. Meanwhile, Philadelphia (which boasted the Flyers' run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals) will host the 2012 Winter Classic and the NCAA’s Frozen Four in 2014.

[89Hen]

Do you mean that they practiced in Chevy Chase, MD instead of their practice facility in Arlington, VA?

Yes. Once a year they come to Chevy Chase to skate, but it's usually an evening sometime in Jan/Feb and it's announced a week or two before. They decided at the last minute to do it last week as a prep for being outdoors. The notice went out Tuesday afternoon. I got stuck working, so I sent Mrs89 with the kids. They got to chat with some players and got a bunch of stuff signed afterwards.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 04344.html