A Minnesota Winter Classic

Another holiday season has come and gone, and with it another great NHL winter classic has disappeared as quickly as a rink popped up in the middle of Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia.  So naturally, we decided to think up some scenarios of the Winter Classic coming to the State of Hockey.

Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold says the NHL would, "love to put a Winter Classic in Minnesota. And what I've been told time and time again is, 'Craig, you get marquee players, you become a playoff team, and you've got it.'"

It’s almost impossible to think the NHL wouldn’t want to visit one of the richest hockey markets south of the boarder; but when it comes to the Winter Classic the national ratings rule supreme.  So the Wild will likely need be consistently at the top and get some national recognition before getting the “all go” from the NHL. With the farm system loaded and the Wild currently not looking half bad, all be it not a Stanly Cup contender, the Winter Classic going to Minnesota is likely not as far fetched as some would think.

The possible matchups in no particular order:

Dallas: The old Minnesota North Stars team could come back to town in what is always a good rivalry game. In addition, the AHL affiliate game would be good with the Texas Stars taking on the Houston Aeros. Also, someone would likely be wearing the old North Stars sweaters, which would be nice to see. However, I’m not sure Minnesota fans would react well to seeing the Dallas Stars sporting them.

Detroit: With rumors abound on the high likelihood that Detroit will be rocking next year’s Winter Classic (hopefully to the tune of 100,000+ at the Big House), we probably won’t see this matchup. But Detroit is a big enough name to again draw a large national audience.

Chicago: It makes the most sense, especially after realignment and the renewed rivalry, large market big name squad for national ratings would be enough to please all the big wigs in the NHL front office.

Winnipeg: I included this just as a prediction that Winnipeg will become the Wild’s most hated rival in coming seasons. And if both teams were consistently at the top of the standings for a couple years, if maybe one of them won the cup, if…….yeah lets move on.

Colorado: Good Rivalry again, but likely not enough large market presence for the nation as a whole. However, if the NHL decides to make a huge mistake and do multiple outdoor games in future events, this could be a possibility.

San Jose: Good big name west coast team, also has a good history and a “non traditional” rivalry. But I wouldn’t see it happening unless both teams rise to the top of the league.

The sites:

There are two places the Winter Classic would likely take place, Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins) or TCF Bank Stadium (on the U of M campus). There is little doubt watching hockey from a seating arrangement set for baseball isn’t the greatest, but Target Field would have a higher capacity. The real decision wouldn’t be made until it was certain the TCF Bank site would be able to serve alcohol, under its current agreement it cannot. Sit outside in a Minnesota Winter with no beer? Blasphemy!

Finally, since the Winter Classic has become a multiple game/day event, it would likely fit well into other large hockey events Minnesota already has on an annual basis. Hockey Day in Minnesota is one day in January where select high school boys and girls teams already play outdoors, in addition to a full lineup of Minnesota Golden Gopher and Wild action.  The Winter Classic would be a fitting main event for the weekend. The Gophers also have a small holiday tournament around the same time, which could have the championship game outdoors, and since it is an invitational they could chose some teams from the same area of the squad the Wild end up playing.

All great options, all sound fun, but remember that in a smaller market the Wild must prove to be “national television” worthy before the NHL will even think about bring the Winter Classic to the State of Hockey.