Getting your player ready...
A classic by any other name . . .
Should a sporting event be labeled a “classic” after only two games? NBC and the NHL think so.
The result: The 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, featuring the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers, scheduled live from Fenway Park at 11 a.m. Friday.
Perhaps game attendance and TV ratings back up such hyperbole.
The first “classic” game (2008) at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., drew 71,217 outdoor fans as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Sabres 2-1 in a shootout.
On last New Year’s Day, the Detroit Red Wings outscored the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 at Wrigley Field, producing the largest NHL TV audience (4.4 million) for a regular-season game in 34 years.
