Since they moved away from NHL TV I have no easy way to tune into games. I don’t want to get 5 different streaming services and I don’t have cable, it’s not worth my time to try and catch games like this whereas I might have watched previously.
projekt_6
Doesn’t take into account all of us sailors…
Toiletboy4
Think it’s more evidence of how bad their access to watching games is
ZeroOriginalIdeas
Poor access to NHL games and two west coast teams that are new and lack any east coast draw. Still pretty good numbers for a sports event
907shadow
I think it’s more they’ve done it to death and unless there you there in person it’s not special anymore. I was at this one and it was amazing in person but I haven’t watched the winter classic on tv in years.
Pirate8918
Maybe don’t put it on the same day as the college football playoff semi-finals…. Didn’t help that the University of Washington was playing
Silly-Scene6524
Making it exclusive to TNT/Max might have something to do with it.
BlueRFR3100
Even it has run its course, I wouldn’t call it a failure.
sevenoneSICKs
I honestly don’t know why they stopped doing it in football stadiums in cold cities. The first winter classic in Buffalo was absolutely amazing.
ElectionAnnual
The stadium series really started to ruin it for me. The vanity of one big event was great, then they got greedy. Additionally, can they spice up the acts a little bit? Billy Idol and Heart will literally make me change the channel rather than watch longer lol
PhilyJ
Markets who got the games could’ve been more traditional which would’ve guaranteed views.
ModernArgonauts
Its probably more a combination of factors, rather than the Winter Classic being an experiment failed in its entirety.
Consider:
– Overlap with college football games.
– No east coast teams involved, no draw for anyone outside of the west
– Increasing mismanagement and inaccessibility of the NHL to its audience.
I think with two original six teams, proper scheduling, promotion and accessibility, it could do, very, very well.
LarryTheLobster710
Maybe if espn + didn’t replay the same ad on loop more people would have known this was taking place
therealgoat1212
Maybe they shouldn’t have it on one of the biggest college football days of the year. Kraken wasn’t even the most watched team from Seattle that day by a landslide. 1.1 mil vs 18.4 mil
VictoriaAutNihil
Not in NY/NJ. Yankee Stadium, CitiField & MetLife are always a rousing success.
I’d bet Fenway & Wrigley do all right as well.
Depends on the matchup and the cities.
JiffTheJester
Felt like it used to mean something
retard_catapult
IT WILL BE IF THEY MAKE IT AS HARD AS FUCKING POSSIBLE TO WATCH IT
Mediocre_Station245
Are these NHL teams? I forgot about them.
Particular_Tutor_46
Well it was on at the same time as the Michigan Alabama game… plus neither team has widespread appeal
captain_catman_
There was a noticeable falloff after the pandemic and the lack of access to the casual fan makes it hard for people to get into it
mildlysceptical22
The Winter Classic needs to be held in a city with a chance of snow. Seattle isn’t that city. The NHL needs to put together a package where you can get ALL of your home teams games without blackouts. I’d buy that. As it is, I sail the seven seas. Ahoy, matey.
I also think the Stadium Series has diluted the outdoor game attraction. One is enough.
BigGucciNasty
Sure putting two O6 teams together for a winter classic would bring views (me included) but it would get really fucking boring if they did O6 matchups every single year.
Like17Badgers
I put it more on the availability and the channel broadcasting it if anything
I can barely sit through my OWN team when we’re on TNT, much less two teams I’m indifferent on.
It doesnt help that it’s two fledgling teams(and Vegas sports in general dont travel well) but I put the poor broadcast numbers on the Broadcast first
Nobillionaires
It would be way easier to follow other teams if all the fucking games weren’t blacked out.
The NHL is a joke.
neva_seen
Two newest teams = two smallest fan bases. This is not surprising.
Roddy_Piper2000
I can’t think of two teams I could care less about.
DDSloan96
Maybe dont compete for viewers with the Rose Bowl?
mattcojo2
Nothing new. But it isn’t entirely on the NHL: the two newest teams and it’s in the west coast.
Glad they decided to put them there though and not somewhere else.
If there was only a way to get a Kings vs ??? game at the LA Coliseum. But it would have to be on a different day bc of the rose bowl.
Empty_Boysenberry_75
Don’t schedule it on the same day as the rose bowl?
mikekostr
I watched it
Sea-Limit-5430
They should replicate the 2014 game.
104,491 people in attendance and and additional 4.40 million on TV. It doesn’t get much better than that
Pizza_as_fuck
I pay for ESPN+ and FUBO to watch hockey exclusively. It was on neither of those platforms so I watched an illegal stream. Im tired of being held hostage by subscriptions.
Davi_323
Is it the Winter Classic itself, or the venues/teams they choose?
Ca1v1n_Canada
How about skip the spectacle? Just play a game outdoors between two big rivals… SOMEWHERE WITH SNOW!!! Throwing fish??? Really??? Elvis outfits??? FML
Beelzebub_86
That and the teams involved weren’t exactly huge established teams with a lot of history.
cheezturds
Just tired of Vegas everything.
Fastsmitty47
It’s because fans can’t watch the f$&ing games!
gfunkrider78
If it’s not cold and snowy, I’m over it.
ikonet
I wanted to watch but, 1) I couldn’t find it streaming when I realized the game had started; 2) I didn’t see the correct ads to know exactly when it started.
So for me, it was poorly advertised and difficult to find. That’s a good recipe for a failing product.
BiggieSta11s
NHL needs to make these games accessible on every and any format possible. They continually believe they can take blood from a stone…. I can hear these pre-production meetings “we’ve learned alot from our past failures, BUT this time will be different” – “what are you doing different?” – “besides throwing fish- NOTHING!”
DIYDaddy83
I don’t know that’s its failed as much as overindulged. I remember the first one and being so hyped and it being a special event. Now their are what? A dozen outdoor games?
ppbourgeois
It can’t be a classic when both teams are practically newborns
43 Comments
That’s actually not that bad compared to the NBA
Since they moved away from NHL TV I have no easy way to tune into games. I don’t want to get 5 different streaming services and I don’t have cable, it’s not worth my time to try and catch games like this whereas I might have watched previously.
Doesn’t take into account all of us sailors…
Think it’s more evidence of how bad their access to watching games is
Poor access to NHL games and two west coast teams that are new and lack any east coast draw. Still pretty good numbers for a sports event
I think it’s more they’ve done it to death and unless there you there in person it’s not special anymore. I was at this one and it was amazing in person but I haven’t watched the winter classic on tv in years.
Maybe don’t put it on the same day as the college football playoff semi-finals…. Didn’t help that the University of Washington was playing
Making it exclusive to TNT/Max might have something to do with it.
Even it has run its course, I wouldn’t call it a failure.
I honestly don’t know why they stopped doing it in football stadiums in cold cities. The first winter classic in Buffalo was absolutely amazing.
The stadium series really started to ruin it for me. The vanity of one big event was great, then they got greedy. Additionally, can they spice up the acts a little bit? Billy Idol and Heart will literally make me change the channel rather than watch longer lol
Markets who got the games could’ve been more traditional which would’ve guaranteed views.
Its probably more a combination of factors, rather than the Winter Classic being an experiment failed in its entirety.
Consider:
– Overlap with college football games.
– No east coast teams involved, no draw for anyone outside of the west
– Increasing mismanagement and inaccessibility of the NHL to its audience.
I think with two original six teams, proper scheduling, promotion and accessibility, it could do, very, very well.
Maybe if espn + didn’t replay the same ad on loop more people would have known this was taking place
Maybe they shouldn’t have it on one of the biggest college football days of the year. Kraken wasn’t even the most watched team from Seattle that day by a landslide. 1.1 mil vs 18.4 mil
Not in NY/NJ. Yankee Stadium, CitiField & MetLife are always a rousing success.
I’d bet Fenway & Wrigley do all right as well.
Depends on the matchup and the cities.
Felt like it used to mean something
IT WILL BE IF THEY MAKE IT AS HARD AS FUCKING POSSIBLE TO WATCH IT
Are these NHL teams? I forgot about them.
Well it was on at the same time as the Michigan Alabama game… plus neither team has widespread appeal
There was a noticeable falloff after the pandemic and the lack of access to the casual fan makes it hard for people to get into it
The Winter Classic needs to be held in a city with a chance of snow. Seattle isn’t that city. The NHL needs to put together a package where you can get ALL of your home teams games without blackouts. I’d buy that. As it is, I sail the seven seas. Ahoy, matey.
I also think the Stadium Series has diluted the outdoor game attraction. One is enough.
Sure putting two O6 teams together for a winter classic would bring views (me included) but it would get really fucking boring if they did O6 matchups every single year.
I put it more on the availability and the channel broadcasting it if anything
I can barely sit through my OWN team when we’re on TNT, much less two teams I’m indifferent on.
It doesnt help that it’s two fledgling teams(and Vegas sports in general dont travel well) but I put the poor broadcast numbers on the Broadcast first
It would be way easier to follow other teams if all the fucking games weren’t blacked out.
The NHL is a joke.
Two newest teams = two smallest fan bases. This is not surprising.
I can’t think of two teams I could care less about.
Maybe dont compete for viewers with the Rose Bowl?
Nothing new. But it isn’t entirely on the NHL: the two newest teams and it’s in the west coast.
Glad they decided to put them there though and not somewhere else.
If there was only a way to get a Kings vs ??? game at the LA Coliseum. But it would have to be on a different day bc of the rose bowl.
Don’t schedule it on the same day as the rose bowl?
I watched it
They should replicate the 2014 game.
104,491 people in attendance and and additional 4.40 million on TV. It doesn’t get much better than that
I pay for ESPN+ and FUBO to watch hockey exclusively. It was on neither of those platforms so I watched an illegal stream. Im tired of being held hostage by subscriptions.
Is it the Winter Classic itself, or the venues/teams they choose?
How about skip the spectacle? Just play a game outdoors between two big rivals… SOMEWHERE WITH SNOW!!! Throwing fish??? Really??? Elvis outfits??? FML
That and the teams involved weren’t exactly huge established teams with a lot of history.
Just tired of Vegas everything.
It’s because fans can’t watch the f$&ing games!
If it’s not cold and snowy, I’m over it.
I wanted to watch but, 1) I couldn’t find it streaming when I realized the game had started; 2) I didn’t see the correct ads to know exactly when it started.
So for me, it was poorly advertised and difficult to find. That’s a good recipe for a failing product.
NHL needs to make these games accessible on every and any format possible. They continually believe they can take blood from a stone…. I can hear these pre-production meetings “we’ve learned alot from our past failures, BUT this time will be different” – “what are you doing different?” – “besides throwing fish- NOTHING!”
I don’t know that’s its failed as much as overindulged. I remember the first one and being so hyped and it being a special event. Now their are what? A dozen outdoor games?
It can’t be a classic when both teams are practically newborns