I Want to Hear From YOU

I know there are many of you who read this blog.  Those of you that have made this one of your daily Internet destinations, I thank you.  Scott and I really appreciate your readership and loyalty to this blog.

Scott and I were having a debate this afternoon about the upcoming Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.  If you haven't heard about it, or you don't watch NBC, the Blackhawks are facing the Red Wings at Wrigley Field on New Years Day, outdoors.  Call it the NHL's new "celebration of hockey" on a national stage, if you will.  But last year's game (between Pittsburgh and Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium) drew the highest TV ratings of any NHL regular season game since 1996.  

Now that you know what the game is, here was the debate we were having.

Scott and I were having one of our semi-daily discussions about what to cover on this site.  I suggested a post about all the New Year's Day sporting events, and previewing the big ones, (which I still intend to do, by the way).  The games I listed were, the Winter Classic, the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, other bowl games (Gator, Cotton, etc.) and the launching of the MLB Network for those of us who can't get enough baseball.  Scott wasn't exactly impressed by the list, and he indicated that the hockey game wasn't really a big enough deal nationally to include in this list of games.  I disagreed.

Scott's Take: 

(and Scott, if you disagree with how I've represented your argument, feel free to respond)

Scott says the NHL isn't popular enough at this current moment to have any regular season game to really be considered a "big" event on a national level, especially when you consider that since the league's lockout three years ago, and its recent hiatus from major television networks, it really isn't a major sport anymore.  Furthermore, since the game is competing with the tradition of New Year's Day college football, it's not nearly as important on a national level as, say, the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl.

Jordan's Response:

While I agreed that hockey is no longer a "major" sport in this country, (the majors being professional baseball, college and professional football and basketball), hockey was a "major" at one point and is starting to come back.  When you consider the revival of an original six market in Chicago, which now leads the NHL in attendance, and the fact that overall attendance is up, the league's interest is returning.   Furthermore, the fact that you have the "Yankees of the NHL" playing in the game, the Red Wings, against a fellow original six team, the Blackhawks, at one of the world's most famous and recognizable sports venues, Wrigley Field, you've got an appealing sporting event to watch.  I argued casual sports fans, and those not into hockey, might check this out, despite the college football coverage, making it a big deal.

Scott's Retort:

The match up here doesn't really matter.  His overall view is that it doesn't make a difference who plays in the game, and that there just aren't enough people that into hockey that this game should be considered a "big deal".  He contends that the Red Wings are not a big deal nationally anymore and that people who live near America's coasts won't care about this game.  He also believes that I'm only so intrigued by this game because of my recent affinity for hockey, the Blackhawks, and the fact they're playing at my favorite sports venue in the world.  (Scott hates hockey, by the way.  Before this October, he and I agreed on a general dislike for hockey.)

Jordan's Response:

Scott is completely right that my interest for this game has obviously peaked because I am a "born-again" hockey fan (when I was in grade school I was a hockey fan), the Blackhawks are in the game and it is at Wrigley Field.  There's no question that for me this is a big deal.  But I still believe, based on my experiences over the last few months, and some research that I have done, that the league's fan base hasn't deserted it and that the Red Wings still have national popularity.  Here in Maui, I visited the local sports bar, the Rusty Harpoon, and I asked the manager what would be on TV there on New Years Day.  The manager ran down the list of football games.  I asked, will the hockey game be on?  She said, "Oh, yes.  In fact, it will be on the most TVs here.  The Red Wings are very popular down here.  Yes, the game will be on."  Granted, I didn't poll every bar in America, or even more than one.  But, the fact that there are people on Maui who are Red Wings fans shows they still have great popularity nationally, in my book.  

Now, I need you all to do me a favor.

Below every post on this site, there is the opportunity to post comments.  We've had a few, but I'd like to see some more interaction between us and you.  So, I ask you to answer these few questions for us, and post them on the site, along with any other ideas you have regarding this topic:

1.  Do you consider yourself a hockey fan?  (Yes/No)

2.  How long have you been a hockey fan?

3.  Did you watch last year's Winter Classic game?  (Yes/No, and if you watched part of it, that's a yes)

4.  Will you watch the Winter Classic this year?

5.  Is the Winter Classic a big deal?

6.  Does the match-up for this game (Blackhawks/Red Wings) make it more appealing to you?  And, does the fact that it's at a recognizable venue, like Wrigley Field, make a difference?

Post away.