NHL Makes Right Call Moving Winter Classic To Prime Time
- Friday, December 31, 2010 2:43 PM
- Written By: Josh Marks
The NHL has decided to move the Winter Classic from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday because of consistent weather forecasting calling for rain showers in the Pittsburgh area throughout the morning and afternoon hours. The rain is supposed to stop around 6 p.m., which should give ice crew chief Dan Craig enough time to prepare the surface for an 8:12 p.m. puck drop.
Moving the game to prime time is not only the right decision, but in my view the event will actually benefit from the time shift because all but one of the college football bowl games will be over by Saturday night and therefore the Winter Classic should attract more viewers and get more attention from the media.
And really, would we want anything else from a Caps-Pens, Sid-Ovi matchup than on a cold winter night under the bright lights of Heinz Field with the sparkling Pittsburgh skyline as a backdrop for all the world to see?
This is going to be great. Here is video of NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly discussing the decision:
