Winter Classic is a great tradition for NHL

Jan. 1 date for Winter Classic is the perfect day for the NHL to attract the casual fan.

Football has Thanksgiving.

Basketball has Christmas Day.

Hockey has New Year’s Day and the Winter Classic.

Sure, it shares its day with the College Football Playoffs – as Vegas forward Jack Eichel correctly reminded me – but it’s still an event that the NHL should continue to hype as its highlight spectacle (outside of the Stanley Cup Finals, of course).

“The NHL goes a great job promoting this event and everything that goes with it,” Eichel said. “It’s definitely a marquee game on the schedule during the season. It’s a lot of fun to be part of.”

While playoff hockey is arguably some of the most dramatic and intense games played, the Winter Classic has something for the casual viewer. The idea of playing games outside makes it special and playing hockey in legendary venues such as Wrigley Field, Michigan Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium and the Fenway Park has created some amazing visuals of seeing a hockey rink in these locations.

For a league that that has trouble marketing its stars, it does amazing things with the Winter Classic.

The show, Road to the Winter Classic, is better than the Quest for the Stanley Cup. The players are looser in the show and have more fun. This is a stark contrast to the high-level stress that comes with the chase for the hockey’s greatest prize.

The game tends to be better than the All-Star game, which has its own quirks, but lacks the ability to draw in the casual hockey fan. Only on two occasions have the games been decided by more than two goals with four games going into overtime and shootout.

Much of the game’s success can be attributed to how successful the first Winter Classic was. It was an entertaining affair with the amazing visual of playing hockey in the snow. It helped that the game was close and ended in shootout won by none other than Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who was 20 at the time.

This year’s Winter Classic will feature the two newest franchises in the NHL – Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. There isn’t much a rivalry, yet – Vegas has only lost to Seattle once in its history, but the story is “pretty cool,” as Eichel said.

It is the first Winter Classic played in the Pacific Time Zone – though there have been outdoor games on the West Coast, including the infamous Lake Tahoe outdoor series games.

The players have bought into its spectacle as well. They have coordinated outfits when walking into the stadium.

There are special jerseys and goalie pads and helmets.

It truly feels special, which is the type of thing hockey needs.

Jan. 1 might never be a hockey-exclusive day, but it should be a date that is circled for hockey fans.