The NHL is currently teaching everyone a lesson in basic marketing with its handling of the Winter Classic announcement. Create a buzz by releasing information about a program piece by piece, and make people clamor for more.
It's safe to say hockey fans are becoming obsessed with Fenway Park. (Photo by me.)
But although complete and official information about the 2010 Winter Classic and subsequent events will not be released until July 1st at the earliest, there is enough substantial information out there to piece together five nearly certain pieces of the official announcement.
– The NHL game at Fenway Park will be the Boston Bruins versus the Philadelphia Flyers. After the owner of the Washington Capitals, the Bruins’ most rumored opponent, mentioned that the team had no plans to be part of a January 1, 2010 game last week, the Flyers have been the most reported and substantiated replacement.
– The ice at Fenway Park will be down for several weeks. Having the Winter Classic at a ballpark as opposed to an NFL stadium affords the organizers much more time to bring in the rink system, as the latest baseball runs is the first week in November. When the Winter Classic was held at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buf-town (which is what I’m allowed to call Buffalo because I’m a bitter Rochestarian), the major complaint is that event organizers did not have enough time to lay down the ice surface and troubleshoot any problems because of the NFL season ending only days before. With Fenway Park the NHL’s to play with from mid-November on, not only can any system problems be fixed much before the main event, other events can use the ice surface.
– There will be a college game or two on the Fenway Park ice. You have ice down in “America’s Favorite Ballpark.” You have a city full of people who would pay $10 just to touch the building, so why not hold some more “once in a lifetime” events in there while you can? And with the growing popularity of the college game, especially with the media attention Boston University’s national championship has been given (which is what happens when a school’s alumni can be found in every facet of every major media organization in America), why not play a few college games on the available ice?
– Despite my previous concerns, Boston College will be included in any possible college game at Fenway. BC may be scheduled to participate in the Denver Cup January 1st and 2nd, but with the ice being down for a few weeks, this supposed scheduling conflict is no longer an issue. The more I think about it, a college hockey game at Fenway could not take place without the Eagles, because Boston College has an existing relationship with Fenway Sports Group for the marketing and promotion of their Athletics program. BC was the cog in this whole college game machine – if BC wasn’t involved, college games would not be happening.
– Boston University will also be involved in any college game. It’s been evident for a while, as BU has not shown up in anyone’s holiday tournament schedule yet, and has seriously dragged its feet when it comes to releasing its own 2009-10 season schedule. Mind you, season ticket holders – moi included – have had to put down nice chunks of cash for next year’s tickets without a semblance of a schedule. This is unlike most programs, and unlike BU’s practice of the past three years.
The other two schools rumored to be participating are Providence and Vermont.
– Said college game will not take place immediately before or after the Bruins-Flyers tilt. See BC’s date in Denver, as well as NCAA precedent. You will not see a college hockey game share a bill with an NHL game. Logistically, Fenway Park’s small size, limited walkways, and reliance on public transportation make any type of doubleheader extremely difficult because of the challenge of vacating the park and surrounding neighborhood and cleaning the park quickly. Additionally, BC has already made a commitment to the Denver Cup, one of the most established college hockey tournaments in recent history. Lastly, there could be compliance issues raised with a combo ticket, doubleheader, or some other combined NHL-NCAA event. (And of course, do I have my rulebook with me as I write this? Of course not.) The Boston Globe reported a date of January 8th for any possible college game.
Will the NHL’s early July announcement definitely include these six aspects? I can’t say for sure, because I’m merely piecing together existing media reports. But if you look at the quality and reliability of the sources reporting these aspects and place all of the pieces together, I think you begin to have a clearer picture of what a Fenway Park Winter Classic program may look like.