NHL Winter Classic - History

History

The Winter Classic as a television event was presented by NBC Sports Executive VP Jon Miller. He pitched the idea to the NHL in 2004 "but they didn't find the concept workable." In December 2006, Miller found an ally in then Executive VP/Business & Media John Collins, who embraced the idea. The first Winter Classic was held January 1, 2008, between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The game had an NHL-record crowd of 71,217 fans in attendance. The success of the 2008 NHL Winter Classic led the NHL to schedule a second one for 2009, held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, on January 1, 2009, matching the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks. That game had the highest American television ratings of any hockey game in 33 years. The success of the 2009 NHL Winter Classic has solidified "the Classic" as an annual event from then on.

The third Winter Classic was held at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 1, 2010, featuring the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The result was a 2–1 overtime win for Boston. The 2011 game was played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals with Washington winning 3–1.

The fifth Winter Classic was held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 2, 2012, featuring the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. The result was a 3–2 win for New York.

Weather has proven to affect the game, with the 2011 and 2012 classics being delayed due to rain and other weather. Outdoor effects of wind and sun glare may give an unfair advantage to one team, so the NHL sometimes modifies the third and overtime periods. In this case, play is stopped at the midway point and teams switch directions. This option was exercised in 2008 and again in 2011.

The Winter Classic was made a permanent part of the NHL schedule through at least January 1, 2021, as part of the league's television contract with NBC and Versus.

The 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia was not played on New Year's Day, as that fell on a Sunday in 2012 and conflicted with the NFL's final week of regular season games. Instead, following precedent set by college football's bowl games (which move their games to Monday when January 1 lands on Sunday), and to prevent a weather delay from pushing into the timeslot for NBC Sunday Night Football, the game took place on January 2, 2012. The game was played at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, reportedly would have been the preferred site, but the Eagles hosted a home game on January 1, rendering it impossible to construct the outdoor rink and other structures (the NHL needs one week for the optimum build-out timeframe). The New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.

Following the 2012 game, media sources began to report that the 2013 Winter Classic would pit the Detroit Red Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six matchup at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The stadium currently holds the world record for the highest attendance for a hockey game (104,073). On February 9, 2012, the NHL made an announcement in Detroit that the Red Wings and Maple Leafs would play in Ann Arbor on the evening of January 1, 2013. It was to be the first time a Canadian team would be involved in the Winter Classic, as well as the first time two teams from different conferences would have played each other during this event. However, the 2012–13 NHL lockout disrupted the season, leading to the game's cancellation on November 2, 2012. The 2014 Winter Classic was subsequently scheduled for Michigan Stadium (as consolation for the cancelled 2013 game) with the Red Wings to host the Maple Leafs.