The Winter Classic no longer creates the national footprint it did when the NHL’s outdoor extravaganza was created 10 years ago. It no longer makes for appointment viewing.
Fact is, the national TV audience that peaked at 2.5 million for the 2009 game at Wrigley Field between the Blackhawks and Red Wings before it was matched five years later for the Detroit-Toronto contest at the Big House at Ann Arbor, dipped to 1.5 million last year for Blues-Blackhawks at Busch Stadium.
Even before the numbers are recorded for the game Monday at Citi Field, this unlikely matchup between the Rangers and Sabres was the least-hyped Winter Classic yet. There was no alumni event, no preceding indoor matchup to serve as an appetizer. It would have been a reach even for NBC to cast these two New York state reps for Wednesday Night Rivalry Night.
But that made no difference at all while they played the Granddaddy of Them All in frigid Queens. If it is a given that all politics are local, it is equally true that these outdoor games are spectacles that are savored in their respective local markets and by the athletes who participate in them. The NHL hit it out of the park again.
“I could easily play one every year and not get tired of it,” Henrik Lundqvist said after improving his and his team’s all-time outdoor record to 4-0 with their 3-2 overtime victory in which J.T. Miller got the walk-off. “It doesn’t get old to me.”
And it didn’t get cold for the King, either, who noted that he had dressed properly and hoped that the fans did, too. This game may be special for the players, but it is always the presence and enthusiasm of the fans who stayed with it for hours in frigid climes that make the event what it is.
It was special for Jesper Fast, who targeted this one for his return from a quad injury after just 10 days even though he was originally projected to miss two-to-three weeks. Would that Yoenis Cespedes hurry back so quickly from a leg issue to play here?
The wind was apparently manageable both on the ice and in the stands. Sun and shadows made viewing difficult over television and briefly for Lundqvist, but the Blueshirts are in their own element out in the elements. Add this one to their victory in Philadelphia in the 2012 Classic and their pair of victories over the Devils and Islanders at Yankee Stadium in late January 2014.
“Every one had a different feel to it,” Lundqvist said. “The first was very special because it was hard to know what to expect. The next, the first ones in New York and at Yankee Stadium. And it’s really special to have this opportunity here with this team.”
Lundqvist: The King of His Castles and the Master of All Domains.
The ice played fast and the benches were warm. This was as much a true hockey game as you’re going to get outdoors, essentially untouched by weather conditions.
“We were the spoiled ones, I think,” Kevin Shattenkirk, who launched the power-play drive on which J.T. Miller converted the rebound for the winner at 2:43 of OT. “There was nothing out there that hindered us from playing hockey.
“The pregame stuff, the warm-ups, the anthem, the bald eagle, the flyover, those are moments you can’t beat. And looking around into the stands from the bench, just taking it all in, I was smiling during just about the whole game.”
The Rangers burst to a 2-0 lead by the 8:20 mark of the first on goals from Paul Carey and Michael Grabner. The Sabres rallied to tie it at 0:27 of the third period. The Rangers had 13 shots within the opening 8:20. They added 13 more over the ensuing 32:54. Those are details that will fade long before the glow of this New Year’s Day.
“It was something to remember,” Mats Zuccarello said. “It got colder as the game went on, so I really have to give credit to the fans. To have my family here was special for sure and really fun to be part of.
“The whole experience was amazing for us as players and hopefully for the fans.”
Lundqvist and Zuccarello are combining to stage an outdoor charity game for the benefit of Right to Play on Aug. 11 in Oslo, Norway. It is called, “The Henke and Zucca Summer Classic.”
“Come,” Zuccarello said. “It’s going to be 65 degrees.”