On the Bob Long Sports Radio Show on March 14th, Bob and I were joined by the Athletic Director of Penn State Hockey, Joe Battista, who discussed the future of the Penn State Hockey Program. He discussed the move to Division One Hockey, the impact the move will have on recruiting, and the progression of hockey over the past few decades. After hitting these points, our conversation turned to the possibility of Penn State hosting a Winter Classic at Beaver Stadium. Despite the potential problems with hosting the event, Joe Battista believes it can still be a success and also presented the idea of an outdoor game for Penn State hockey in the near future (http://boblongsports.com/joe-battista-31411/).
As Joe Battista noted, hockey’s popularity in the state of Pennsylvania is at an all-time high. The recent success of the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions, has lead to a high level of interest in hockey in the state. Many of the students at Penn State are from the Philadelphia or Pittsburgh area and have a strong attachment to their professional hockey team. On a winter day, it is almost impossible to walk across campus without seeing a someone wearing a piece of Flyers’ or Penguins’ apparel. On the weekends, Flyers and Penguins chants can be heard on the buses that loop the campus and students can be seen gathering around the television, especially during the playoffs, to cheer for their respective teams.
A Winter Classic would allow these groups of passionate fans to convene at Beaver Stadium to watch another edition of the Keystone State rivalry. Fans entering Beaver Stadium would be engulfed in a sea of colors, including orange, black, yellow, powder blue and white. The atmosphere would be electric and the enthusiasm of the students would most likely be rewarded with a close, well-played match between two teams that have been among the league’s best in recent years.
Despite this exciting image, there are a few issues that could prevent the spectacle from taking place. First, the game has traditionally been played on the first of January, which would fall on winter break for the students at Penn State. Although I think students would travel back to school for the game, the date also marks a day of big College Football Bowl Games. With the consistent success of Penn State football, it is likely the team would be invited to play in one of these Bowl Games and force students to choose which game to watch. This conflict was present in 2010 for Philadelphia fans, when Penn State played LSU in the Capital One Bowl at the same time the Philadelphia Flyers played the Boston Bruins in the Winter Classic. Second, the weather at Penn State, particularly the high amount of snow present in the winter, could prevent the use of many unpaved parking spaces necessary to accommodate those traveling to see the game. Finally, the sale of alcohol is prohibited in Beaver Stadium, so the NHL would lose revenue from alcohol sales.
These are legitimate concerns, but I think they can be overcome. The date could simply be changed to a allow the Penn State community to avoid the conflict of interest. While the NHL may be reluctant to change the date, the game could become another outdoor game in addition to the Winter Classic held on January 1st. It would be similar to the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames that was played in Canada on February 20, 2011. The weather simply can not be controlled, but picking a date earlier in the year would decrease the chance of facing a big storm. Though the NHL would lose out on revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages, the 110,00 seat stadium would be the game’s largest venue yet and provide the largest possible revenue from ticket sales. Also, the NHL would make revenue off the sale of parking, including from those who would camp outside the stadium for the day.
Moving the discussion past the Winter Classic, Joe Battista presented the possibility of Penn State playing a home game against a Big Ten rival once the team moves to the Division One level. While the Winter Classic may have a bigger draw, an outdoor college hockey game would be a great experience for the students and alumni and may be a more feasible option. A student section could be created to allow students the opportunity to get cheaper tickets as well as come together in support of their team. With one of the largest alumni networks in the country, many alumni would return to embrace the experience of cheering on their alma mater in a Division One hockey game. Furthermore, Penn State could plan the event without the constraint of the NHL, thus having the ability to pick an appropriate date and disregard the concern for lost revenue from alcoholic beverages. Understandably, the NHL may not want to alter the tradition of the Winter Classic by changing the date, so Penn State would be better served to plan a college game on their own.
While the concept of an outdoor college hockey game may be alien to some, it was a great success at “The Big House” in Ann Harbor, Michigan, which hosted a game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans. With the growth of hockey in the state of Pennsylvania, as well as the excitement around the new Division One program, Beaver Stadium would certainly be an ideal location for an outdoor hockey game.
JoePa and the Beaver Stadium Grounds Crew won’t let this happen. It’s not up to the NHL.