The outdoor game at Rich Stadium yesterday was an excellent idea. It got the NHL world-wide coverage and positive coverage for once. It was front page news every where. Too bad it was going opposite a couple of college Bowl games. It showcased the NHL's premiere talent, Sidney Crosby and he did not disappoint. You could see how excited the players were to be playing a game outside just like when we were all kids but in front of 72,000 people. The snow flying around only added to the game.
Some people have been critical of the game. They thought it was boring and poor quality hockey. The game reflected the original roots of the game and although the play was slower than usual due to the conditions, it was great to watch. I love to watch NFL football in a snow storm because the challenges presented by weather make the game different than most and to me more interesting. Although I wasn't thrilled about all the delays to fix the ice and resurface in the middle of periods. When I played in outdoor rinks we would put a pylon over holes and you just skated around them. The game took 3 1/2 hours to play.
Now I watched the game in the United States and therefore got to watch the NBC coverage. They used the game to promote their NHL schedule which begins January 20th. NBC used Bob Costas to cover the game and had Mike Milbury doing colour commentary. I thought Milbury was terrible. The low point of the telecast was a promotion for the January 20th game which is between the Boston Bruins and NY Rangers. NBC showed an old clip of Milbury when he played for Boston, where during a brawl he climbed into the stands to fight with a Ranger fan and beat the fan with is shoe (see video below). Obviously this was done with Milbury's consent and he appeared proud of the moment. The piece was an embarrassment for the NHL and only took away from the landmark game being televised.
UPDATE: NBC is happy with the ratings so we can expect more outdoor games in the future.
