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Winter Classic eyes another financial home run
Source: Agencies |
January 1, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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THE NHL will again take over a baseball shrine for the Winter Classic on New Year's day, looking to slam another marketing home run at Fenway Park after last year's success at Wrigley Field.
Fenway, iconic home of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use, will provide the backdrop as the NHL returns to its outdoor roots for a clash between the hometown Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers today.
In just three years the Winter Classic has blossomed into the NHL's signature event and is developing into a New Year's tradition on a day once reserved for a feast of US college football. Taking the game back to its outdoor origins seems to have struck an emotional chord with hockey fans and players alike.
"It is the perfect setting, to be honest with you," Flyers defenceman Chris Pronger told reporters. "What better way to get back to your roots and your childhood than playing in an outdoor game in front of 35,000 people and enjoying yourself out in nature and the elements."
This year the Winter Classic will have to share the hockey spotlight with a pair of major Olympic announcements.
Hockey Canada unveiled the team it will send to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on Wednesday, while the United States is set to announce its Olympic line-up from Fenway today.
That has only added to the buzz surrounding an occasion that has provided a marketing and promotional bonanza for the NHL, particularly important in the US where hockey has struggled for attention.
As North America continues to crawl out of a recession many NHL teams have struggled to fill arenas, with fans cutting spending and companies trimming pricey suites and sponsorships. But the downturn has had no impact on the Winter Classic.
According to SportsBusiness Journal, the NHL will earn US$10 million from sponsors for the game at Fenway - double the amount for last year's event at Wrigley Field, while over 300,000 fans have entered a lottery for 40,000 tickets costing between US$50 and US$350.
Television ratings for the 2009 Winter Classic were the highest for a regular-season game in 13 years, according to the NHL, which expects the 2010 event to improve on those numbers.
What started as a one-off novelty has become a key fixture on the NHL calendar.
Fenway, iconic home of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use, will provide the backdrop as the NHL returns to its outdoor roots for a clash between the hometown Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers today.
In just three years the Winter Classic has blossomed into the NHL's signature event and is developing into a New Year's tradition on a day once reserved for a feast of US college football. Taking the game back to its outdoor origins seems to have struck an emotional chord with hockey fans and players alike.
"It is the perfect setting, to be honest with you," Flyers defenceman Chris Pronger told reporters. "What better way to get back to your roots and your childhood than playing in an outdoor game in front of 35,000 people and enjoying yourself out in nature and the elements."
This year the Winter Classic will have to share the hockey spotlight with a pair of major Olympic announcements.
Hockey Canada unveiled the team it will send to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on Wednesday, while the United States is set to announce its Olympic line-up from Fenway today.
That has only added to the buzz surrounding an occasion that has provided a marketing and promotional bonanza for the NHL, particularly important in the US where hockey has struggled for attention.
As North America continues to crawl out of a recession many NHL teams have struggled to fill arenas, with fans cutting spending and companies trimming pricey suites and sponsorships. But the downturn has had no impact on the Winter Classic.
According to SportsBusiness Journal, the NHL will earn US$10 million from sponsors for the game at Fenway - double the amount for last year's event at Wrigley Field, while over 300,000 fans have entered a lottery for 40,000 tickets costing between US$50 and US$350.
Television ratings for the 2009 Winter Classic were the highest for a regular-season game in 13 years, according to the NHL, which expects the 2010 event to improve on those numbers.
What started as a one-off novelty has become a key fixture on the NHL calendar.
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