2015 NHL Winter Classic: Minnesota Wild Snubbed Again

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Looks like the Minnesota Wild will be getting snubbed again for the 2015 NHL's Winter Classic. I guess by now, none of us are going to be shocked anymore, since California is getting a second outdoor game before the State of Hockey is awarded one. I wrote a similar story about this over on the Hockey Wilderness this week. I guess the Wild are high profile enough to be selected by the NHL.

Greg Wyshynski, Puck Daddy – The news was first reported by Bob McKenzie with TSN, and confirmed to Yahoo Sports by multiple sources.

It’s the second Classic for both teams – the Blackhawks faced the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field in 2009 while the Capitals played the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011. But it’ll be the third outdoor game for the Blackhawks overall, having faced the Penguins at Solider Field in the Stadium Series last season.

Are the Wild Getting a Stadium Series Game?

#475969721 / gettyimages.com

Looks like there's a chance that Minnesota Wild could get a Stadium Series game against the Dallas Stars, as early as next season.

Michael Russo, Minneapolis Tribune -- Still waiting

The Wild continues its quest to host a Winter Classic. But there are plans to bring a stadium-series game to Minnesota as soon as next season.

The Wild wants the opponent to be the Blackhawks, but the NHL is pushing the Dallas Stars as the opponent. If the game happens, it looks as if it will be played at Target Field.

At this point, the Minnesota Wild need to take what they can get in regards to an outdoor game whether it's a Winter Classic or a Stadium Series game. Eventually, they'll get a Winter Classic.

UND Hockey: Is there an outdoor game on the horizon?

This tweet hit Twitter yesterday. It's a great idea. It would be fun to have an outdoor hockey game between UND and UMN. Honestly, outdoor games are for the most part a nice spectacle, to be enjoyed by hockey fans. The Winter Classic was a decent game to watch yesterday.

Some fans think they’re a gimmick. I am on the fence with these things. Seriously, how many of these things are we going to have? I think this year we have hit the over saturation point. What do we have, like 20+ outdoor games this year? At last count, there were something like 23 of them. I might have missed a couple.

Don't plan to wait until 2019. RT@MikeRed22: UND and Minnesota. Target Field. 2019. Make it happen Mr. President.
— Dave St. Peter (@TwinsPrez) January 1, 2014

Related articles

• A New Drinking Game for UND Hockey (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UND Hockey: Dynamic Duo Bright Spot for UND (thehockeywriters.com)
• NCHC Hockey: No Second Thoughts or Regrets (thehockeywriters.com)

Winter Classic Humor

s/t Addicted Hockey Fans. The game is going to the dogs.

NHL schedule includes “6” Outdoor Games

Chew on this for a minute, there are six outdoor games this season. They’re listed below in chronological order, and they’re scheduled as follows. One game is actually in L.A.

2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic

* Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings - Michigan Stadium

Wednesday, Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m. ET -- NBC, CBC, RDS

Coors Light NHL Stadium Series

* Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings - Dodger Stadium

Saturday, Jan. 25, 9:30 p.m. ET -- NBC Sports Network, CBC

* New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils - Yankee Stadium

Sunday, Jan. 26, 12:30 p.m. ET -- NBC, CBC

* New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders - Yankee Stadium

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. ET -- NBC Sports Network

* Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Soldier Field

Saturday, March 1, 8 p.m. ET

2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic

* Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks – BC Place

Sunday, March 2, 4 p.m. ET -- CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network

Is there a solution looming.

This is good news... Right?

NHL-NHLPA meeting still going....
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) November 7, 2012

#CBA As of 9:25 p.m. ET, talks between NHL/NHLPA still ongoing. Interpret that as you wish...
— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) November 7, 2012

Winter Classic to be cancelled

Original NHL logo, used until 2005. A version of the logo features it in the shape of a hockey puck. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michael Russo, beat writer for the Star Tribune also said on tweeter today the Winter Classic is dead. Russo is one of the most in tuned beat writers for an NHL team and if he says that the Winter Classic is going to get cancelled, I will believe that it’s true as well.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)--- A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that the NHL has cancelled the 2013 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the league had not yet announced the cancellation of its signature event. The person also the NHL will schedule its next Winter Classic at the iconic stadium that seats more than 100,000 people.

Last week, the NHL wiped out all of its previously scheduled games through the end of November.

Detroit and Toronto, two of the league's Original Six teams, were going to play outdoors on Jan. 1 at the stadium known as the Big House. The league was hoping the matchup would break the world record for hockey attendance. Michigan and Michigan State's hockey teams drew a record 104,173 fans in 2010.

 Nice to see that the NHL is finally becoming the No Hockey League... One has to wonder if and when will the two sides finally put their differences aside and come to an agreement so we can have an NHL season. It's obvious that the NHL Owners are trying to get the NHLPA to crack and I don't see it happening this time around.

Winter Classic to be cancelled soon...

RT @csnne: #BruinsTalk Reports are saying the Winter Classic could be canceled very soon. ow.ly/eRrBN #lockouttalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) October 29, 2012

If you have been following your twitter feed or glancing at your favorite NHL and college hockey sites, you will see that the NHL is close to cancelling the Winter Classic, actually it sounded like the Hurricane Sandy might have actually postponed the cancelling of the Winter Classic.

@drewc_78 @csnne Yes. They also reported last week that it would be today. So there's that
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) October 29, 2012

Since rejecting the union's trio of proposals, the league has made two rounds of game cancellations. The latest, announced on Friday, wiped out the regular-season schedule for November. A source familiar with the league's plan told ESPNNewYork.com that the league is expected to cancel the Winter Classic on Thursday, the source said.[Katie Strang, ESPN.COM]

So if the NHL cancels the Winter Classic, that would mean all the other events that were supposed to take place during that time frame will also be cancelled or moved to other venues as well.

The bigger loss to the city of Detroit is the Winter Festival, a two-week event set to start in late December at Comerica Park and featuring a slew of hockey games ranging from high school to juniors to college to a Wings' alumni doubleheader.

While it may seem like that could still be held regardless of the state of the NHL, it is the NHL that would be building and funding an ice rink at Comerica, a trade-off the Wings agreed to in exchange for having the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor rather than Detroit.

So here is the schedule of everything that is supposed to take place during the Winter Classic. There is a full slate of game from the NCAA, OHL, AHL and the NHL scheduled. That is set to be cancelled on Thursday if no agreement is reached.


DEC. 15-26: Celebration of Hockey featuring amateur games, corporate outings and open skates. Information on booking ice time can be obtained by visiting DetroitRedWings.com/icetime.

DEC. 27-31: Outdoor Festival featuring interactive games, autograph signings, face painting and ice sculpture exhibits as well as musical performances and entertainment.

DEC. 27-28: Great Lakes Invitational featuring the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Western Michigan Broncos and Michigan Tech Huskies all competing for the 2012 MacInnes Cup.

DEC. 29: Ontario Hockey League doubleheader featuring the Windsor Spitfires taking on the Saginaw Spirit, and the Plymouth Whalers battling the J. Ross Robertson Cup champion London Knights.

DEC. 30: American Hockey League Game featuring the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toronto Marlies, AHL affiliates of the Red Wings and Maple Leafs, respectively.

DEC. 31: Red Wings-Maple Leafs Alumni Showdown featuring legendary players from two of the National Hockey League’s most storied franchises going head-to-head.

Related articles

• Report: Winter Classic will be canceled Thursday (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• NHL will reportedly cancel Winter Classic (boston.sbnation.com)
• NHL's Winter Classic could be cancelled Thursday: report (cbc.ca)
• Source: NHL to cancel Winter Classic Thursday (espn.go.com)

Dodgers exec wants Winter Classic

Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh boy most of us are probably just chomping at the bit to see this hockey game. Or not! I see these outdoor games as a distraction away from the actual hockey game. Hey I admit, that I liked the 24/7 Flyers and Rangers on HBO this past winter; that was an awesome show and you got to know the players from the two teams quite well.

But now some want to have hockey in Chavez Ravine.  Why not go for Aloha stadium in Honolulu? I can't imagine that there have been that many hockey games in Hawaii. 

LOS ANGELES --- Dodgers president Stan Kasten was hoping to capitalize on rare Stanley Cup fever in Los Angeles with a pitch to bring the NHL Winter Classic game to baseball's biggest ballpark.

Kasten, the former president of the Atlanta Thrashers, said Dodger Stadium was equipped for the finals-bound Kings to host the annual outdoor showcase event and he was exploring plans to make it happen.

"Facility-wise, we could certainly handle it," Kasten told the Los Angeles Times, saying technology existed to keep the ice playable in hot weather.

The report cited an outdoor exhibition game in 1991 in which Wayne Gretzky and the Kings played in temperatures of around 85F (29C) in Las Vegas.

Personally, I think we have overdone the outdoor hockey game - just a bit - how many more of them do we need to have? Next season, there are at least three outdoor games in college hockey that I can think of off the top of my head. Do we really need anymore of these things? How much is enough? At what point do we hit the over saturation mark?

If I had to make a choice, I would rather be able to see a hockey game in a stadium built for hockey, most of the stadiums that I watched hockey in are designed with the hockey viewer in mind. I am really not all that thrilled about trying to watch a hockey game in a baseball stadium or a football stadium where your seat is going to be a long ways away from the ice and you have a hard time seeing the puck.  Can you imagine trying to watch a hockey game in Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, ND when it 30-40 below zero, with the wind chill factored in. That might be one game I that I sit out.