January 2, 2009
Time to make the Winter Classic an annual event

[Chicago, IL] -- Everyone had his Kodak moment at the Winter Classic the other day, and I had mine. It took place an hour beforehand, when some puckhead lost his breakfast tacos in front of me. His last name was Upchuk, I believe.

OK, maybe that wasn't it.

Maybe it was the miles of smiles of outside of Wrigley Field before the game. Or the national anthems. Or the flyover. Or the sick goal that Pavel Datsyuk scored in the second period. Or . . .

Whatever is was, if one didn't enjoy something about the celebration of hockey called the Winter Classic, then he either 1) flat-out didn't like hockey or 2) didn't have a pulse. Why, even White Sox fans who support the Blackhawks didn't consider the day to be a total loss. After all, the home team lost at Wrigley Field again.

And what did the hockey gods think of it? In the third period, the sun made an appearance for the first time, that's what.

In other words, it was the perfect time and place for commissioner Gary Bettman to stand up and tell even marginal hockey fans what they wanted to hear in the worst way -- that the Winter Classic would be headed to a city near them soon.

"I don't have any announcements," said Bettman, the Grinch Who Stole Hockey. Then the leader of the NHL went on to say, "I have no idea where we're going next. We haven't given it any thought. I never like to look ahead."

Huh? C'mon, commish, what's the wait? Isn't it time to make the Winter Classic an official league event on New Year's Day each year? Can a professional team sport that ranks a distant fourth in the United States afford not to do it?

Here, I'll even write the first paragraph of the news release . . .

NEW YORK -- Today, the National Hockey League announced that the wildly popular, ridiculously cool, immensely successful Winter Classic will be a permanent fixture on New Year's Day each year, because we come up with a brilliant marketing idea about as often as the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup, which is to say once every 40 years or so, and we can't afford to blow this one, that's for darn sure.

Now was that difficult?

Don't take my word for it, though. Just listen to the guys who played in the game.

"I'd like to see this become something they do every year, because it's a great experience," Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "Obviously, it's a smart idea to market hockey and promote it."

Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith offered his endorsement: "This game draws a lot of attention to the NHL, and hopefully, it can grab the attention of somebody who's not a fan and turn him into one all a sudden."

"Oh, yeah, this was incredible," wide-eyed Blackhawks rookie forward Kris Versteeg said in reference to the event, not his blind pass that resulted in a highlights-reel goal in the first period. "We saw how special it was in Buffalo last year, and it was so special here. People came from all over North America. It was crazy. It would be pretty cool for every team to either host this game or be a part of it."

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

The Winter Classic represents a glorious opportunity to sell the game from coast to coast. Word is that either Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium will be the site of the Winter Classic next year, and the league can't go wrong either way. At the same time, the top honchos have to resist the urge to make this an event for the Blackhawks, Red Wings, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers only. The last time I checked, the teams in Atlanta, Columbus, Miami, Long Island, Los Angeles, Nashville, Newark, Phoenix and Raleigh have played to less than 90 percent capacity at home this season. They need this event even more.

So if the commish has no idea where the Winter Classic is headed next, then I know 30 places where it should be. Or one for each city in the league. Rotate the event between the Eastern and Western conferences each year. Establish minimum requirements for event sites, ticket sales and the like. Whichever franchise is considered to have made the best proposal will host the next one, but each will be expected to make the cut eventually.

Limit the Winter Classic to division rivalries based on geography, tradition and venom quotient. If fans of both teams have a chance to attend the game -- upward of 10,000 Red Wings fans made the trek to the Frozen Confines, which confirms that Detroit is in no need of a bail-out any time soon -- then the atmosphere will be that much better.

There's no shortage of possibilities here. Avalanche-Stars. Bruins-Capitals. Blues-Predators. Canadiens-Senators. Canucks-Flames. Coyotes-Sharks. Devils-Flyers. Ducks-Kings. Hurricanes-Thrashers. Lightning-Panthers. Maple Leafs-Sabres. Oilers-Wild. Islanders-Rangers. That leaves the Blue Jackets and Penguins as the only inter-conference matchup, but I bet they would pack Heinz Field, PNC Park or Ohio Stadium just the same.

My dream Winter Classic? Ducks versus Kings. On Malibu Beach, of course. If the Kings and Rangers could play in 85-degree heat in Las Vegas, as they did several years ago, then any place is fair game.

"Yeah, I think that would be a great idea," said Lidstrom, ever the voice of reason.

"I think so for sure," Red Wings backliner Andrea Lilja said. "They should rotate so everyone gets a chance to see it once in awhile. Every town in the NHL needs to be a part of one of these just to hype its team."

Protested Red Wings goaltender Ty Conklin, Mr. Winter Classic himself, "I'd keep it Detroit-Chicago every year. It's too much fun to pass along. Let's alternate. I'll take one at Comerica Park, absolutely."

That's not to say that the Winter Classic is an empty-net goal exactly. It's not out of the realm of possibility that lousy weather could even force a postponement and leave the NHL with a very red face one day. The event won't always be as lucky as it was in Chicago the other day, when temperatures in the low 20's and overcast skies made for ideal conditions.

As technology improves in the years to come, though, then a full-blown disaster is only slightly more likely to happen than a Lidstrom turnover in his own zone.

"Everyone should get a chance to play in a game like this," he said. "It's a great experience for the players, and it's great for the game of hockey to get this kind of exposure."

Oh, and another thing: The NHL agrees to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame midway through the third period only if Major League Baseball reciprocates with The Hockey Song after the top of the seventh inning at its All-Star Game.

Whadya say, commish? Deal?

Based in Chicago, Paul Ladewski is a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, covering the NHL.