Hockey at Fenway

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July 15, 2009

Pahk your Zahmboni in Hahvahd Yahd:

It’s official: Boston’s storied Fenway Park will host the 2009 Winter Classic. The NHL made the announcement at the 97-year-old ballpark on Wednesday. The hometown Boston Bruins will face the Philadelphia Flyers for the annual event on Jan. 1, 2010.

I wish Montreal or Ottawa was playing in it so that we can see if, unlike last night, “O Canada” gets played at this game.


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TomG
13 years ago

The…Flyers? Really?

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ecp
13 years ago

They actually did play “O Canada,” but Fox was at commercial.  I read something about Justin Morneau being ticked off because it was a tape, though, rather than live:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090715/morneau_ocanada_090715/20090715?hub=Canada

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Scarf
13 years ago

I would have wanted Montreal, too, but that’s because they’re Boston’s biggest rival and the fans of both teams get a little bit, shall we say, vexed when in close quarters.

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Pete Toms
13 years ago

Don’t know if it is urban myth, but it is widely thought here that most of us don’t know the words to O Canada.  We almost always hear a bilingual version of it and most of us aren’t bilingual…so the verse we always hear in our non native tongue is gibberish to us.

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MooseinOhio
13 years ago

I find it hard to believe that having the Flyers play the Bruins will attract many more viewer than the Canadiens would.  Hockey tends to broadcast to a more loyal following of fans that appreciate the rivalries and do not need to be enticed to view.  While the Bruins and Flyers had some nice rivalry periods they do not match the lifetime bitterness between the Habs and B’s. 

Novel idea – have the Bruin and Montreal meet someplace in upstate NH or Vermont for pond hockey.

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whitty
13 years ago

Also, the next week BC and BU, the two most recent NCAA D-I Hockey champions, play at Fenway.

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tadthebad
13 years ago

Moose – I would normally agree.  However, in this case, we’re talking about a holiday (for most) after a night of celebration (for many).  As such, I think NBC is hoping to attract “the casual fan” to watch what is sort of a novel concept, namely, professional hockey played outdoors.  Clearly, NBC is not worried about attracting our neighbors to the north to watch hockey as it is probably assumed that they will watch anyway.  Further, it will be the only NHL game being played that day, so the loyal NHL fans will probably be paying attention anyway as well.  I would certainly prefer the Habs to any other squad, but I can see the corporate logic in the decision to have the B’s host the Flyers.

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Michael
13 years ago

The Habs were in the first “classic.” That’s why they’re not here.

In fact, the NHL is running out of Original Six teams to feature – after all, there are only six. And they aren’t going to waste Toronto and New York as visiting teams, as they’re likely to host their own “Classics.”

Bruins/Flyers was a fairly obvious rivalry to feature, remembering the Bobby Orr-anchored Boston teams who faced the Bobby Clarke-led teams of the Broad Street Bullies era. Plus they’re both US cities who still give a damn about their hockey teams even when they haven’t recently won a Cup.

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tadthebad
13 years ago

Michael,

Wikipedia has the Sabres and Penguins at Ralph Wilson Field for the first classic.  Detroit and Chicago played this year at Wrigley.  I seem to remember an outdoor NHL game played some years ago, I think Edmonton was one team, I can’t remember the other squad.  It wasn’t considered the Winter Classic yet, and it wasn’t played on New Year’s Day, IIRC.  Maybe that’s what you were thinking of?

As it stands, only one-third of the original six have played in the Winter Classic, with Boston being the third team come 1/1/10.

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MooseinOhio
13 years ago

For what it is worth – Ohio State played Wisconsin (I believe) outside as few years ago as well.

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tadthebad
13 years ago

Word around Boston is that NBC prefers two US-based teams for this format – the better to attract US-based viewers.

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Mark
13 years ago

Yeah, that’s the reaction around my office—the Phlyers? Really? Nobody thinks it should have been anybody other than Montreal.

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