Over the past few days, various periodicals and sports radio programs have dissected a business initiative that involves an Original Six hockey club, the House that Ruth Built and an outdoor hockey game. The National Hockey League is in the process of revisiting the immensely popular outdoor hockey games by conducting conversations with the New York Rangers and historic Yankee Stadium about the possibility of hosting a Winter Classic on New Year’s Day in 2009. This event would be the final sporting contest ever held at baseball’s version of the Sistine Chapel.

(See The Biz of Baseball article on ticket prices at Yankee Stadium)

Without hesitation, there is a genuine and sincere excitement emanating from the National Hockey League’s offices on Sixth Avenue. The league would have an opportunity to market a hockey contest that is truly “once in a lifetime” to potential sponsors, advertisers, television networks and ticket buyers. The characteristics that normally distinguish a price sensitive fan from an insensitive fan would almost disappear due to the finality of the event. A contest of this magnitude at Yankee Stadium would surely attract a substantially large viewing audience who would not necessarily be admirers of hockey. The diverse objectives of the audience could be beneficial to a sport looking for an identity and brand equity.

Before a zamboni exits Monument Park and the National Hockey League’s “Ice Guru” Dan Craig creates a rink in Derek Jeter’s back yard, there are numerous details that the league must address before a puck is dropped. While the New York Rangers are the ideal participant in this event, there are several dilemmas involving their potential opponent. It is no secret that both the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils would relish an opportunity to showcase their intense battles with the Rangers on such a grandiose stage. However, any decision involving either one of the two teams is problematic for the National Hockey League. The league needs to focus on a national audience even though the regional match ups are rather appealing. While any contest involving the Rangers and one of their local rivals would do well in the tri-state area, a contest of this magnitude would surely alienate a national audience and potentially diminish the viability of future outdoor contests on New Year’s Day. The idea of promoting an “Original Six” contest as the final sporting event at Yankee Stadium is a logical and appropriate decision due to the circumstances surrounding the House that Ruth Built.

While many consider the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings as the front runners to secure the cherished role as opponent to the Rangers, the National Hockey League should seriously consider a long forgotten member of the “Original Six” fraternity, the Chicago Blackhawks. In recent years, the Blackhawks have struggled mightily. Longtime team owner William Wirtz passed away last fall and was frequently vilified for various management decisions that have adversely affected a franchise that won its last Stanley Cup in 1961. The Blackhawks haven’t had a winning season or playoff appearance since the 2001-2002 campaign where the team had won forty-one games, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the St. Louis Blues. Between the 2001-2007 seasons, the Blackhawks have played 246 regular season games at the United Center. During this time, they have averaged 14,110 fans per game in a facility whose maximum capacity for hockey is 20,500. In other words, the Blackhawks have only been utilizing approximately 69% of the United Center’s seating capacity for hockey games. To make matters worse, the Blackhawks have experienced an 18.3% decline in overall attendance since the 2002 season. The precipitous decline in attendance does not properly represent a cosmopolitan city that is deeply infatuated with the greatest game on ice. The city of Chicago is yearning for an opportunity for the Blackhawks to take center stage in a sports crazed town. An invitation to the Winter Classic would not only energize a city, but it would motivate a franchise to awake from its decades’ long infatuation with frugality._[1]

Besides the selection of an opponent, the National Hockey League will have to address other pertinent issues. The television contract between the National Hockey League and NBC expires at the end of this season. When NBC broadcasted the New Year’s Day game a few months ago, the contest between the Sabres and Penguins drew a 2.6 overnight rating and a 5 share for the network. These numbers were even better than FOX’s broadcast of Wayne Gretzky’s final game in April, 1999. If the National Hockey League is unsuccessful in renegotiating a contract with NBC, the league could turn its attention to an old acquaintance. It is no secret that the National Hockey League would like to rekindle its relationship with ESPN even though the league’s cable rights in the United States are exclusively controlled by Versus. Any potential deal involving ESPN would also include a negotiation with Versus for compensation and rights fees. While the deal would make sense for the National Hockey League, it could actually be detrimental for Versus. Currently, Versus enjoys its control over the cable television market when it comes to hockey. If ESPN begins to broadcast hockey games on any of its networks, Versus could conceivably lose a lion’s share of their advertising dollars and possibly their identity. While Versus covers several outdoor sports from hunting and fishing to bull riding, their relevance as a sports network is tied directly to the National Hockey League. Therefore, it is imperative that a television deal is firmly secured before the league proceeds with any discussions about another outdoor game. _[2]

To many, a visit to Yankee Stadium is a religious experience that touches every fiber of a person’s being. Whether you are an admirer of the New York Yankees or just an average baseball fan, Yankee Stadium was, is and always will be the center of the baseball universe. It is a required pilgrimage for all who devoutly worship at the altar of baseball. Every crack and crevice in the cathedral on 161^st Street and River Avenue contains volumes of history that a library could never appropriately capture. Yankee Stadium is not just another sports venue that has become obsolete due to attrition and technology. It is a piece of Americana that has aged gracefully over time. While Yankee Stadium will forever be synonymous with twenty-six world championships and iconic athletes who wore the pinstripes, its contributions to American history goes well beyond Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Yankee Stadium has hosted events that run the gamut from football games and boxing matches to papal visits, religious events and memorial services.

The National Hockey League’s infatuation with Yankee Stadium as a potential venue for another Winter Classic is intriguing and disturbing all at the same time. Barring a playoff appearance by the Yankees this fall, the franchise is scheduled to host their final game at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2008. If the National Hockey League can successfully negotiate a deal with the Yankees, New York City and the Parks Department, the final event at Yankee Stadium will be its first ever hockey game. In the eyes of many, this is a blasphemous act that falls just short of being sacrilegious. While a hockey contest at Yankee Stadium would be a spectacle of epic proportions, a strong and volatile resentment could percolate over the coming months.

One of the most endearing qualities of the outdoor hockey games is the physical and psychological confrontations with inclement weather. The National Hockey League’s first attempt at a regular season outdoor game in 2003 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadians saw temperatures hover around zero degrees with a wind chill of fifteen below. This past January’s contest in Buffalo was a winter wonderland. In both instances, the freezing temperatures and steady snow fall did not deter exuberant audiences from enjoying themselves. While the winter months in New York City aren’t as intense as the ones in Buffalo and Edmonton, the weather will still play a pivotal role in the planning and execution of the event._[3]

After years of atrophy and ineptitude, the National Hockey League has finally begun to utilize various marketing strategies and ingenuity in order to resurrect a sport that has been unfairly saddled with obscurity. While the idea of hosting an outdoor game at Yankee Stadium is absolutely brilliant, the league must be prepared to encounter a kaleidoscope of emotions and obstacles from appalled baseball fans. The polarizing opinions surrounding this event are worthy of attention, but the National Hockey League needs to forge ahead and make this dream a reality.

Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr. is a clinical assistant professor of sports management at the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University.