When they said that Gary Bettman was going to make a "big announcement" during the second intermission of the Winter Classic, I figured it meant he was going to announce where next year's game was and who was playing in it. I was half right. He announced where the game was. But he only announced half of the who.
As I was going through the places the Winter Classic hasn't been yet, Dallas never even crossed my mind. I figured a return trip to Pittsburgh was in the offing, and I was anticipating a Penguins-Flyers matchup. After all, they're running out of combinations involving the same seven teams and they haven't done that one yet (although they have played each other in the Stadium Series).
But I'll give them credit for branching beyond their traditional Northeast/Detroit/Chicago base. The Winter Classic is the NHL's marquee regular season event, and it's good to get other teams involved. And Dallas has wintry-enough weather (remember the ice storm at the Super Bowl?) that the event won't lose the intended effect.
One of the reasons I never considered Dallas was because the Rangers are getting a new stadium and Jerry's World will obviously be in use with the Cowboys and the Cotton Bowl. I never thought of using the Cotton Bowl itself, but it makes complete sense. And seeing as the two largest crowds they've had were at Michigan and Notre Dame, using a giant college football stadium clearly works. They're also bringing some novelty back to the Winter Classic by bringing it somewhere completely different for the first time.
This is also an opportunity for the NHL to showcase somebody new. The Stars have never played in the Winter Classic before, and they've got some real talents in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, players that most of the hockey-watching public doesn't get to see on a regular basis. Surprising to learn, I know, that there are players in the NHL not named Crosby, Ovechkin or Kane.
Of course, it's always possible that they could still have one of the Winter Classic staples be the Stars' opponent. Chicago has played in four Winter Classics, but clearly there's no Blackhawks fatigue. This year's Winter Classic ratings were the highest since 2015...when it was Chicago and Washington. Interestingly, the Blackhawks are 0-4 all-time in the Winter Classic, so future hosts are probably lining up to have Chicago be their opponent.
I'm thinking the NHL will probably continue its trend of doing the Blackhawks every other year, though, which means it'll be the Stars vs. somebody else. And the possibilities are endless. Because unlike most of the past Winter Classic matchups, there's no obvious rivalry or historic anniversary to showcase. So, if they're smart, they'll take this opportunity to go outside of their traditional group of teams.
Personally, I'd like to see two Winter Classic first-timers in 2020. And there are three exciting possibilities that would all make excellent choices as the Stars' opponent.
The first is the Tampa Bay Lightning. They've been one of the better teams in the NHL for the past few years, yet they're often overshadowed by the other star-studded teams in the East. Obviously, playing in Tampa doesn't give them much of an opportunity to host an outdoor game. And the team that it would make the most sense for them to play in one--the Florida Panthers--isn't good enough to justify the national TV audience. (Although, they could easily schedule the Lightning vs. someone like Washington, Boston or the Rangers in an outdoor game.) This would be the perfect opportunity to feature the Lightning, though. And it would really be cool if the NHL featured two Southern-based teams in the Winter Classic.
Tampa Bay would be a good choice, but I consider that option No. 3. Option No. 2 is the Minnesota Wild. This is the perhaps the one potential matchup that has fans the most excited, and it's probably the one that has the most historical significance. All because the Stars played in Minnesota for 26 years before moving to Dallas in 1993. The move south worked and Minnesota got a team back, albeit after seven years without hockey in the Twin Cities.
Competitively it would be a good matchup, too. The Wild are a team that, like the Stars, has a bunch of talented players that are either up-and-coming (Jordan Greenway), you've never heard of (Devan Dubnyk) or haven't been on a stage like this in quite some time (Zach Parise) or at all (Mikku Koivu). They've also made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons.
My choice, though, is the Nashville Predators. The Predators check all the boxes. They're good, they're fun to watch, and they've got star power in P.K. Subban and Pekka Rinne. And let's not forget, they made the Final two years ago and won the President's Trophy last season. This is the type of team the NHL should want to showcase, and this is a golden opportunity to do it.
Believe it or not, the Predators are also the closest team to Dallas geographically. Plus, just think of how much fun it'll be to have teams from Texas and Tennessee playing a hockey game in a college football stadium on New Year's Day. As we saw when they played the Penguins for the Cup, Predators games are fun. Bring it down to Texas, the other hotbed for country music, and the 2020 Winter Classic could really be a party.
Sure, the NHL may surprise us and choose someone else. The Sabres have the historical connection, and Buffalo is a reliable market for high ratings. Then there's Bettman's shiny (still) new toy in Las Vegas that you know he'd love to get into a Winter Classic. But I don't think it should be either the Sabres or the Golden Knights. The Predators are the best option. The 2020 Winter Classic should be Dallas vs. Nashville.
No comments:
Post a Comment