How about Coors Field to host the 2013 NHL Winter Classic?
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Winter Classic is a New Years Day regular season game played outdoors. There has been one held each of the past four seasons.
At first the idea of the Winter Classic being held at Coors Field just seemed like a
[caption id="attachment_85" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Coors Field ; Photo by Associated Press"]
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Colorado fan’s wish, but the more you look into it, the more Coors Field looks like it would be a perfect fit.
The first game was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, then followed by historic Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and most recently Heinz Field. The 2012 Winter Classic is already scheduled to be held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. All of these locations have been in the eastern United States. How about showing the west a little love?
The only logical thing holding the NHL back from hosting a western Winter Classic is the unreliable temperature. Maybe California isn’t a smart place for an outdoor ice hockey game, but in the mountainous Rocky Mountains, there would definitely be that winter feel. Denver is a large enough city to generate quite a buzz. Denver also has an international airport and plenty of hotels to host such an event.
Another thing that has struck a nerve with many fans around the league is the selection of participating teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers (counting the 2012 Winter Classic) have both participated twice. To other teams that have yet to experience an outdoor game, this seems a little unfair. There has also never been a Canadian team in a Winter Classic. Canadian teams have played in the similar Heritage Classic, which is held later and with much less hype.
[caption id="attachment_86" align="alignright" width="600" caption="Marc-Andre Fluery stops Alex Ovechkin in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh ; Photo by Getty Images"]
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The 2013 NHL Winter Classic should be held at Coors Field and what would be better than seeing the Colorado Avalanche take on either the New Jersey Devils (who were known as the Colorado Rockies before relocating) or the Detroit Red Wings (I know they’ve already played, but the rivalry would be just too fun to watch).
The more I look at this potential situation, the more excited I get about it.
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