The NHL's Backyard Rink

On New Year's Day, the NHL held its second regular season game outdoors, but the first to be played in the U.S., and the first to be broadcast nationally south of the border. In a dull game, Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 2-1 in a shootout, with wunderkid Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal.

Frequent stoppages for snow removal aside, the game was a resounding success, as over 70,000 people braved the elements at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, and NBC enjoyed their highest hockey ratings by a country mile.

There is, of course, talk now about making this an annual event, because if it worked once and everyone watched, why wouldn't it work again? And again... and again...

The problem here is that repeating a regular season game outdoors once a year, or even once every two years, has the very real potential of becoming stagnant and boring, something no league, or network, wants to have happen.

I think the outdoor game is a great idea, and the lack of offense aside, the Pens-Sabres game was immensely entertaining. But there is a better solution than merely playing a game for 2 points outdoors. (Oh wait, it's the NHL. 3 points.)

Why not have the All-Star Game played outdoors? The outdoor idea is still new enough to attract the casual or curious viewer, and showcasing the league's best talent in a game that ultimately means nothing will appease the GM's and coaches who fear the outdoor game may cost their team just enough points to miss the playoffs in the pathetic NHL.

Also, the game could be made into a real event, with the skills competition, oldtimers game, and rookie game also being played on the largest backyard rink. The players who have played in either Buffalo or Edmonton have already said they loved the game and are more than willing to do it again.

The league is calling in for a miracle, and the phone was answered with the results of the Winter Classic. Now the league needs the message to get through to the right people, and an outdoor All-Star Game should do that.