Bruins Playing at Gillette Next Year?

[TSC]

http://nesn.com/2014/01/report-bruins-hope-to-host-outdoor-game-next-season-gillette-likely-venue/

The Boston Bruins could be playing a game under the New England winter sky next season.

The NHL is expected to trim its slate of outdoor games from six to four next season, and TSNs Darren Dreger reported Wednesday that the Bruins are among the teams vying for one of them.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Yeah awesome, a hockey game in Foxboro.
 
Stop having more than 1-2 outdoor games.

 

[FelixMantilla]

Great. So people can freeze their asses off while not being able to see a thing. Can't wait!

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

Great. So people can freeze their asses off while not being able to see a thing. Can't wait!

plus pay $40 for parking
 
This is one of those ideas where the someone has to step back, think for a minute, and use common sense rather than greed to come to a decision.
 
 
Then again it could be worse. There's always the possibility of also having Umass play Providence there a week before or after . . .

 

[kenneycb]

plus pay $40 for parking
 
This is one of those ideas where the someone has to step back, think for a minute, and use common sense rather than greed to come to a decision.
 
 
Then again it could be worse. There's always the possibility of also having Umass play Providence there a week before or after . . .

Which they will do when people stop buying the merch or watching the games.  AFAIK, neither have occurred yet.

 

[The Napkin]

Anyone want our tickets? Fenway was awesome. I have no desire to go to Foxboro.
 
2 outdoor games per year. 1 in Canada and one in the US. Done. Even better 1 - the all star game. Then you can have it in Phoenix and people might actually show up or something.

 

[The Napkin]

And yeah, bc boy is right. The NHL/NHLPA stands to make 20 million from the games this year. They ain't going away that easy.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

What I would like to see is a morphing of the game into an indoor/outdoor sport at all levels. Imagine the growth of hockey if each rink cost less than $1 million to build instead of $3-5 million...

 

[cshea]

I actually think Gillette is a better place for this than Fenway. I had a blast at Fenway in 2010 but I likely wouldn't go back if they played there again. The atmosphere was amazing but I couldn't see shit. For the jacked up ticket price, I'd probably pass. Gillette at least provides better sight lines and the tailgating sspect could be a lot of fun as a change of pace from the normal NHL game experience.

 

[SidelineCameras]

I can't believe the negative reaction in this thread. This sounds awesome. The game this year at The Big House looked incredible and I wished I could get there. Everyone says that the sight lines in a football stadium are much better than baseball. I'm all in.
 
As for the "Stadium Series" itself, I think 2-3/year make the most sense. The Winter Classic on January 1, an all-Canadian Heritage Classic whenever, and a third floater. With the floater you can work in games like the one at Dodger Stadium without that being the Winter Classic itself. 

 

[ForceAtHome]

I don't like the outdoor games from a pure hockey perspective. The sight lines are awful (even in a football stadium, you're still very far from the action), the ice is usually mediocre at best and awful at worst, there are delays, it's (usually) freezing cold, the quality of hockey isn't as good, etc... But, it makes the league a lot of money, seems to drum up interest among more casual fans, and hopefully is helping to popularize the game. In a vacuum, I'd rather they not do these games -- at least not beyond the Winter Classic/Heritage Classic. However, I've come to accept what it is and don't expect the trend to stop any time soon.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Anything that can contribute to the growth of the game is fine by me.  I like the idea and probably would go if given the chance.

 

[pedro1918]

I like watching the outdoor games from the warmth of my own couch. 

 

[ForceAtHome]

I like watching the outdoor games from the warmth of my own couch. 

 
More so than a regular game? I may have felt this way in 2010, but certainly not anymore.
 
If I am watching on TV, I would prefer the game be done in a regular NHL arena so camera angles are best, game flow is smooth, the speed is good, and you get the overall best quality hockey. Despite the obvious negatives of an outdoor game (the elements, shitty sightlines, worse hockey, etc), at least there's a trade off with the experience and atmosphere, something you don't get from home.

 

[mabrowndog]

The league has drawn nearly 210,000 fans to three games this season with three more to play. As for TV viewership, the Winter Classic was the most-watched regular season NHL game in history, and the first two Stadium Series games in L.A. and the Bronx set local ratings records. It's a winning formula. The league knows it, and so do the networks.
 
As TSC notes, reports today suggest four outdoor matches including the rumored Bruins/Gillette tilt and a game at Coors Field plus the Winter Classic in Washington. With all the adjunct usage of ice surfaces (public skating, college/minors/juniors/exhibitions, etc), the costs of erecting and maintaining the rinks are a minimal issue. They're going to keep on doing this until either attendance or ratings prove them nonviable or a dying fad.
 
[tablegrid= North American Outdoor Hockey Games ] College Minors NHL Other 2001-02 1 0 0 0 2002-03 0 0 0 0 2003-04 0 0 1 0 2004-05 0 0 0 1 2005-06 1 0 0 0 2006-07 0 0 0 0 2007-08 0 0 1 0 2008-09 0 1 1 0 2009-10 5 1 1 2 2010-11 7 2 3 8 2011-12 9 2 1 1 2012-13 4 1 Lockout 1 2013-14 18 2 6 5 [/tablegrid]

 

[Ramon AC]

They should expand the size of the ice to fill the football field. That's a spectacle I'd be willing to pay good money to see.

 

[cshea]

I may be in the minority, but I actually enjoy watching the outdoor games at home, at least as a neutral fan with no rooting interest. I'll watch the Isles/NYR game tonight. If the Bruins played more outdoor games I'd probably sing a different tune, but I do like watching them. I haven't had any problems with the TV angles and I think it's fun to watch teams slog away in the wind/snow/cold with 50-60 thousand people in the stadium. Yeah the on-ice product isn't as good as games in normal NHL arena's, but it is something different to during the middle of the season. That said, I would prefer they stick to 1-2 games a season instead of 6.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

They should expand the size of the ice to fill the football field. That's a spectacle I'd be willing to pay good money to see.

 
And make the goals bigger!  And have 10 players (plus a goalie)!!!
 
And then maybe do it on grass.  And without sticks or hands!

 

[ForceAtHome]

They should expand the size of the ice to fill the football field. That's a spectacle I'd be willing to pay good money to see.

 
May I interest you in bandy?
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUaxDB0ea3M

 

[Ramon AC]

Yes! Yes you may! This sport also has a play called a "stroke-off." I'm sold.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

Beat me to it, with the Bandy thing...I would love to have played that.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

I don't like the outdoor games from a pure hockey perspective. The sight lines are awful (even in a football stadium, you're still very far from the action), the ice is usually mediocre at best and awful at worst, there are delays, it's (usually) freezing cold, the quality of hockey isn't as good, etc... But, it makes the league a lot of money, seems to drum up interest among more casual fans, and hopefully is helping to popularize the game. In a vacuum, I'd rather they not do these games -- at least not beyond the Winter Classic/Heritage Classic. However, I've come to accept what it is and don't expect the trend to stop any time soon.

 
What do the sight lines have to do with the hockey? Right now the NHL's plan is to drop a rink smack in the middle of a stadium and just sell all the tickets for a shitload of money - and it's working. Truth is, the NHL could do a much better job of creating better sight lines for spectators, but then they'd have to compromise a little on capacity. I would like to see more games where they align the rink in such a way to create a better hockey watching experience for a smaller audience.
 
And by your rationale, outdoor football and baseball should be phased out too...it rains, drizzles, gets windy, delays occur. Maybe all football and baseball should be indoors, in a controlled, predictable environment too.
 
I'd love to see maybe a Div III college team, and maybe some high schools, just play all their home games outdoors ("Every Game's a Classic"). A minor league team tried that in PA last year, but due more to poor business practices than anything else it was a failure. I hope it gets tried again, and done right next time.
 
And, Mr. "Mediocre at best", how many of these outdoor rinks have you actually played on, especially under big game preparations? Under the correct conditions, outdoor ice can be every bit as good as indoor ice.

 

[veritas]

To me the outdoor hockey games are only cool when they're in a historic and/or interesting place.  Fenway, Michigan, Yankee Stadium, etc. Foxboro is a complete joke, it's in the middle of fucking nowhere. If the Patriots weren't a historically good team at the moment, we'd be complaining about TV blackouts.
 
If they turn one of my season ticket games into a game at Foxboro, i'll be pissed unless I can sell it for > face value.

 

[kenneycb]

And by your rationale, outdoor football and baseball should be phased out too...it rains, drizzles, gets windy, delays occur. Maybe all football and baseball should be indoors, in a controlled, predictable environment too.
 
I'd love to see maybe a Div III college team, and maybe some high schools, just play all their home games outdoors ("Every Game's a Classic"). A minor league team tried that in PA last year, but due more to poor business practices than anything else it was a failure. I hope it gets tried again, and done right next time.
 
And, Mr. "Mediocre at best", how many of these outdoor rinks have you actually played on, especially under big game preparations? Under the correct conditions, outdoor ice can be every bit as good as indoor ice.

Regarding the first point I quoted, it is significantly more dangerous to play hockey in the conditions than any other sport given the fluidity and speed of the game. Unless you think playing on a wet football field is the same as playing on a rain soaked rink where every attempt to move the puck gets slowed down and turned into a buddy pass. Hell, the same even applies to snow, though that is easier to fix than a constant Zamboni from the skies.

Regarding the second, outdoor games are miserable to play. It's cold. Your hands take forever to warm up. Your toes go numb by the first period. Every deflection of your sticks stings your entire body. The glass often fogs up. And it gets old after the first few times, especially for the fans. I doubt any school or minor league team has the funding to actually do something like that and, if they did, I'd suggest they spend it on something of greater merit than an outdoor hockey rink. "Correct conditions" isn't a cheap thing to do and is also very dependant on Mother Nature cooperating.

 

[ForceAtHome]

 
What do the sight lines have to do with the hockey? Right now the NHL's plan is to drop a rink smack in the middle of a stadium and just sell all the tickets for a shitload of money - and it's working. Truth is, the NHL could do a much better job of creating better sight lines for spectators, but then they'd have to compromise a little on capacity. I would like to see more games where they align the rink in such a way to create a better hockey watching experience for a smaller audience.

 
I totally recognize that it's making the NHL money. That's great for them and as I said, I don't expect them to stop. What do the sight lines have to do with hockey? It sucks to watch from a football stadium. I've been to outdoor games and other than the "experience" it's poor from a hockey perspective. The hockey is worse and you can't see anything well.
 
 

 
And, Mr. "Mediocre at best", how many of these outdoor rinks have you actually played on, especially under big game preparations? Under the correct conditions, outdoor ice can be every bit as good as indoor ice.

 
The players review the ice after these games. They usually get poor to mediocre reviews.
 

• Brodeur said of Yankee Stadium, "It was the worst ice I ever played hockey on."
• "The only thing that I found surprising was the quality of the ice," Vigneault said. "You'd think that a day like this where it's below zero Celsius, so below 32 Fahrenheit, that you're talking about ideal conditions. You should be able to get ice and they had issues with the ice. I was surprised about that."
• Selanne said of Dodger Stadium, “It got worse (as the game went on), but a little worse. Still, we have no complaints. We are used to not good ice here anyway.”
• "The sheet that covered the Dodger Stadium infield wasn’t fabulous, but it wasn’t abysmal."

 
Do you honestly think the ice in the outdoor games the NHL puts on have been very good sheets? Because the players would seem to disagree, and they've skated on these. I've talked to people in charge of facility operations as well, and they concede that the ice isn't as good. Also, older ice is typically better than new ice, another issue with these make shift rinks.
 
Finally, there's other safety concerns. Worse ice leads to more injury concerns, glare is a serious issue, etc.
 
Edit: kenneycb covered a lot of it while I was writing. Another thing to add is that there are significant delays. The Rangers-Devils game was delayed over an hour this weekend. The Caps-Penguins Winter Classic was shifted from afternoon to evening, and that's before getting into switching sides halfway through a period, extra shovel breaks, etc.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

I doubt any school or minor league team has the funding to actually do something like that and, if they did, I'd suggest they spend it on something of greater merit than an outdoor hockey rink. "Correct conditions" isn't a cheap thing to do and is also very dependant on Mother Nature cooperating.

 
My suggestion that a school or minor league team play an all outdoor schedule was based on it being a place where there isn't an indoor rink already, in that playing outdoors is the only way they could have a hockey program at all. I actually think this would work better in more temperate climates, say Virginia, or Tennessee, or Missouri.
 
I still don't see where varied conditions (with the possible exception of rain. You want to rain games out, like in baseball, or have rain delays, fine...) are really any more onerous in ice hockey than they would be in football or baseball (or soccer. Hockey players make fun of soccer players for being pussies, but they don't bitch about playing in various conditions). You think it isn't miserable to play football in Green Bay in December, or baseball in Minnesota in April?

 

[Fred not Lynn]

...and I'm not going to go into depth on ice quality issues, but I'll mention two things.
 
1.) It's actually better to be making ice when ambient temperatures are above zero. Then you can use the refrigeration system to really control what's going on.
 
2.) The greatest obstacle facing those who build these rinks is creating a firm, level surface on which to build the ice, which can, without deflection, handle the weight of a resurfacing machine full of water/snow and a non-jockey weight driver. The problem isn't the lack of a roof over the ice it's the lack of a concrete floor under it. (Or a good, solid sand base...)
 
3.) I totally agree that older ice is better than new ice. I don't understand why the NHL insists on keeping general use OFF their big game rinks, instead of seasoning them like crazy (and generating some nice revenue).

 

[Turrable]

Yankee Stadium was a blast, and I had terrible seats. I don't see the harm in doing one there and at Fenway/Wrigley/etc. every year. Foxboro, meh.

 

[JayMags71]

If this comes to fruition, and anyone is serious about unloading tickets. PM me. In unrelated news, PT Barnum loved me.

 

[timlinin8th]

I actually think Gillette is a better place for this than Fenway. I had a blast at Fenway in 2010 but I likely wouldn't go back if they played there again. The atmosphere was amazing but I couldn't see shit. For the jacked up ticket price, I'd probably pass. Gillette at least provides better sight lines and the tailgating sspect could be a lot of fun as a change of pace from the normal NHL game experience.

I hadn't even considered the tailgating aspect... I might not survive. Now this needs to happen.

 

[jsinger121]

Gillette is 12 minutes from my house. Yes please

 

[MoGator71]

As far as the merits of outdoor rinks, I played on one (UConn) and generally I liked the ice. However, I can't see how that would be viable for a minor league team or a D1 team (and UConn enclosed the rink when they went D1). In good conditions the ice was great...but there were also times when it was warm and the glass fogged over, and memorable nights when it was very cold. It had a roof over it but both ends were wide open, and the wind would rip through there like you wouldn't believe. Nothing like reaching for the water on top of your net and finding it frozen.
 
I like the idea of more than one game. My first choice is still my original idea of the ASG outside, but barring that why not play a few more games? I would rather see them try it in a few more markets though. Give guys from other than a dozen or so repeat teams a shot at playing in one of these. Put a game in Minnesota, or Columbus at OSU, or St. Louis. Spread it around a little.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

As far as the merits of outdoor rinks, I played on one (UConn) and generally I liked the ice. However, I can't see how that would be viable for a minor league team or a D1 team (and UConn enclosed the rink when they went D1). In good conditions the ice was great...but there were also times when it was warm and the glass fogged over, and memorable nights when it was very cold. It had a roof over it but both ends were wide open, and the wind would rip through there like you wouldn't believe. Nothing like reaching for the water on top of your net and finding it frozen.

 
That's not an outdoor rink. That's a shitty indoor rink. Worst of both worlds, except you don't have to shovel if it snows. I'd rather have a full outdoor rink than that.

 

[MoGator71]

 
That's not an outdoor rink. That's a shitty indoor rink. Worst of both worlds, except you don't have to shovel if it snows. I'd rather have a full outdoor rink than that.

Sure...til it rains.
 
But pretty much I agree. Someone needs to build a retractable roof rink.

 

[RedOctober3829]

@ChrisBottaNHL: NHL is considering Bruins-Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for an upcoming Stadium
 

 

[McDrew]

I'd totally get tickets to that. 

 

[pedro1918]

I would bet the stadium would be 60% Habs fans. 
 
At least.

 

[Dropkick Izzy]

If this was being held 5 or 6 years ago, I'd agree but we're a long way since then. 
 
Yes, Habs fans travel well (particularly in the northeast) and have been pining to host an outdoor game since the 2003 Heritage Classic.  However, the B's have been a far better team than the Habs over the last few years (last Thursday's abortion notwithstanding).  The Bruins and hockey in general are about as popular as they've ever been in New England.  How do you figure 60%?
 
Even assuming season ticketholders for each team receives guaranteed seats if they choose (there's more capacity at the Bell), I'd still peg it as 30 to 40% bleu-blanche et rouge, at best.  Pats ticket holders will likely have some level of priority access and after that you have the logistical challenges of travel/lodging.

 

[doldmoose34]

it will never happen but more then Gilette the perfect place for this game is at BC,  sight lines would be great,  and fans would be closer to the action then any of the other 'stadium series' locations..of course there would be none of the 2nd tiny rink mites skating around that NBC loves

 

[jsinger121]

 

Renaud Lavoie ‏@LavoieRenaud  29m
Multiple sources are telling me the Canadiens won't play at Gillett Stadium (Patriots) next season. #tvasports