Mother Nature still hungover from last night, pushes Winter Classic to 8 p.m.
Jan 1, 2011, 12:15 PM EDT
The much anticipated 2011 installment of the NHL’s Winter Classic will have to wait a few more hours, as rain in the lovely city of Pittsburgh has delayed the game’s tentative 1 p.m. start to a very real 8 p.m. tonight at Heinz Field (I would make a quip here that since it’s an NFL stadium, the game must go on, but after last week’s snow-debacle in Philadelphia, all bets are off).
While many fans hoped for snow as the perfect accoutrement to the bruising outdoor match-up between the Penguins and the visiting Washington Capitals, the powdery, white stuff made its way through the region around Christmas time, leaving behind for New Year’s a leftover & very un-hockey like climate of 50 degrees and rain, necessitating the postponement of the battle.
Fans of HBO’s 24/7 series, a documentary following both teams in preparation for the Classic will just be glad to know the players and coaches alike now have a few more hours to do something embarrassing/endearing while being filmed, prior to going out and attempting to knock everyone else’s teeth out with a stick. Duality, thy name is Nicklas Backstrom.
The postponement also creates an interesting ratings “battle,” as the Classic will now be competing directly against the underwhelming Fiesta Bowl match-up of Oklahoma Sooners-Connecticut Huskies. It’s actually not even in question that college football will win handily (outside of Pittsburgh and potentially, D.C.) but if the Huskies fall behind early in a laugh-er (and any fan of Big East football can assure you that they will), the NHL’s annual “Hey, we have a regular season, too!” showcase may have a few extra pairs of eyes upon it this year, making the actual competition against the 2.6 Nielsen rating drawn by last year’s installment in Boston. Best behavior, everyone!
So, which game will you be watching tonight? Best comment received gets free Off the Bench commenting for a year. Hell, make it two.
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Predicted rains pushes Winter Classic to nighttime [Associated Press]
