Outdoor Hockey: Fun but Fan-Friendly?

I love the concept of the NHL hosting outdoor hockey games. It's sports the way sports were played as kids. The elements play a role in the game, not to mention that any cold weather city never gets to have a Super Bowl, so at least this is some consolation.

Today the Chicago Blackhawks are hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field. It's blustery and a bit snowy there today, making for perfect hockey conditions and a fun atmosphere.

I just wonder how fan-friendly it is to watch in person.

As a comparison, when attending an Eagles game, one can watch the game as it progresses on the field, or if, say, you are sitting really low behind one end zone but all the action is happening at the opposite end zone, you can watch the humongous scoreboard as the play unfolds. Otherwise, it's very difficult to see.

In today's "Winter Classic," (as it's being billed... though I'm not sure an annual game that's three years into the making can truly be considered a "classic," but I digress), the hockey rink is set up over the infield of Wrigley, and the fans are seated in the regular baseball seats. And there's no jumbotron scoreboard to get an up close view. So I must ask... can a fan on the second level or in the outfield really see much of anything? The puck is so small to begin with that it must be an eyestrain just to tell what's going on.

Last year I was very excited about the rumors of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers playing a game in Penn State's Beaver Stadium. It sounds like a tremendous idea, with the possibility of 100,000+ fans coming out to a mid-state battleground. But would it be too much like watching ants chasing arond a pebble from 50 rows up in the stands? Perhaps it doesn't even matter and fans would just go to enjoy the cold weather...

Flyers, Penguins and 107,000 Puckheads

Yesterday, local (Philly-area) media reported that the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins are dabbling with the notion of playing a regular season game at Penn State University in Happy Valley in January of 2009. Outdoors. In Beaver Stadium.

Let me just say that this would be the wildest game I could possibly imagine.

Not only is the Flyers/Pens rivalry building steam especially after last week's scrappy 8-2 battle that the Flyers won, but having it at a neutral location that State College provides, and having it at the country's second largest stadium in the dead of winter just sounds like the a recipe for mayhem. Up to 107,000 fans cheering on a bitter rivalry would be crazy. But in a good way.

Having gone to Penn State I realize that roughly 1/3 of the students are Philly sports fans, 1/3 are Pittsburgh sports fans, and the rest are "miscellaneous"... mostly New York sports fans and a mix of others. So the built-in battleground between the two Pennsylvania cities is already there, and the party scene would be well-represented on both sides.

My only real question is... if you're sitting at the top row of Beaver Stadium in a full house... how in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks would you be able to see the puck???

Other than that, I say... play on!

JoePa Terno Doesthe RightThing

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno did the right thing last week by insisting that his entire team clean the 107,000+ seat Beaver Stadium after every home game after being disgusted by a disgraceful off-campus fight involving a half-dozen of his players. In sum, he was disappointed not only that the players got into a scuffle to begin with, but also because nobody stepped up to try to stop it or to claim responsibility. It's a throw-back, old school move that could affect his recruiting in the near future (if I'm a talented but trouble-making young football player, would I want to go to PSU to play football?), but sometimes the right decision is not always the most popular one. His argument is that by cleaning the stadium the players will learn from their mistakes and step up as a team. I agree 132%.

But what's more, I'd really like to see some ex-PSU players who attend a home game voluntarily help out and clean as well. Can you imagine what solidarity and character this would build? If I was playing for the Nittany Lions this year and I saw an ex-player help clean trash with the rest of the current team, I would have tremendous respect and pride for this alum, as well as for Coach Paterno who arranged this program. There are hundreds of ex-players out there... let's see if anybody steps up to the plate.

On a separate but related note, I firmly believe that NFL football teams should be held to this policy is well. You get busted at a strip joint for firing gunshots? Pick up a broom.