Outdoor Games: A Little Goes a Long Way
FollowThe NHL will try and capitalize on the success of the Winter Classic when it hosts it’s second outdoor game on February 20th. The Montreal Canadians and the Calgary Flames will face off in the Heritage Winter Classic in Calgary’s McMahon Stadium less than two months since the Winter Classic.
The NHL has attempted to differentiate the games by focusing this years Winter Classic on American audiences with a game featuring Washington and Pittsburgh. The Heritage Classic, on the other hand, will focus on the Canadian audience.That being said, two games in a season is too much, too soon.
The league has gained a lot from playing outside, but part of the magic is making these instances infrequent. Watering down the impact with two games does little other than confuse the marginal hockey fan. The NHL needs to focus on maximizing its exposure from a single annual event and building a following around that event similar to a college bowl game.