I've seen some pretty heated discussion on both sides of this, so I though it would be an interesting topic to raise here. The NHL has announced that it is interested in holding the Winter Classic again next season, this time to feature likely the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees were opposed to the idea before out of fear that the freezing pipes and other equipment necessary to create the rink would do major damage to the field. Since Yankee Stadium is coming down and the new stadium opening in 2009, they would have no problem with the game being held next winter since the last baseball game at the stadium will have already been played.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3287634

The Yankees say that they are not opposed to the idea, and it's beginning to look like a deal will be struck. I've read some arguments on both Yankees sites and hockey sites, and there seems to be a split between people who think it would be a great event and a fitting spectacle for the historic stadium, and those who feel a NHL game has no place being the last event at the stadium; the stadium should be closed out by a Yankees game.

As a hockey fan who doesn't really follow baseball and especially could care less about the Yankees, obviously I am all for the game. But, I can see where people are coming from; there is a certain sentimental value to the last game at a venue, especially one with as much history as Yankee Stadium. Thoughts?

On another note, the final event at Shea Stadium will be a Billy Joel concert.

3/11/2008 3:32:23 PM

Can't wait to see the heated debate between all both of the hockey fans here!

3/11/2008 3:38:30 PM

The House That Scott Gomez Built

3/11/2008 3:39:07 PM

LOL I GET IT ITS FUNNEH BECUZ HOCKEY ISNT AS POPULAR AS BASEBALL AMIRITE???

This isn't a fucking hockey vs baseball thread or any of that bullshit.

3/11/2008 3:40:10 PM

i guess you haven't seen the 57 pages of hurricanes discussion for this season and another 9 or 10 pages for the NHL thread

3/11/2008 3:51:27 PM

seems retarded

3/11/2008 3:53:24 PM

also i hope it's not Boston that plays them

3/11/2008 4:00:36 PM

Quote :

"i guess you haven't seen the 57 pages of hurricanes discussion for this season and another 9 or 10 pages for the NHL thread"

FTW

3/11/2008 5:23:25 PM

Who really cares about this and why? I don't get it.

3/11/2008 5:27:50 PM

A lot of people think that the last event at Yankee Stadium should be a Yankee game. Here's a good post about it with a lot of replies: http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/03/10/close-the-stadium-with-a-ball-not-a-puck/

3/11/2008 5:31:35 PM

As a Rangers fan, I would love to go see a Rangers game at Yankee Stadium. The NHL wants it to be an Original Six matchup from my understanding, but they're probably be better off going Rangers/Islanders for public opinion.

[Edited on March 11, 2008 at 5:44 PM. Reason : I'd actually go out of my way to go to this if it happened.]

3/11/2008 5:39:41 PM

Quote :

"Can't wait to see the heated debate between all both of the hockey baseball fans here!"

now it's right

3/11/2008 6:08:01 PM

Not a Yankees or Rags fan, but I don't think the final sporting event at Yankee Stadium should be a non-Yankees event. Why not at Giants Stadium? Let the final event at Yankee Stadium be the end of the regular season, when they don't make the playoffs

3/11/2008 6:28:37 PM

I've admitted on here a few times to being a Yankees fan, but I'm also a hockey fan (played it since I was 4). While I despise all things Buffalo, I did like them having the Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Yankee Stadium has been host to more than just the Yankees home games. It has hosted football games, boxing matches, etc. I think it would be great to send the stadium out with a great spectacle such as this. My only concern is the seating configuration. I'm guessing that they would set it up similar to how some football games have been held in baseball stadiums. Here's AT&T Park (home of the SF Giants) in football configuration for the Emerald Bowl.






Here's a pic of a Giants football game at Yankee Stadium back in the day.


The other possibility would be setting it up similar to how the field for the Browns was situated at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. That would put the fans pretty far from the action though.

3/11/2008 7:07:34 PM

The Giants played there before the renovations. And the layout of Yankee Stadium is fairly different from AT&T.

Some fan you are!

3/11/2008 7:12:22 PM

Umm...I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, but I was just trying to visualize how the seating configuration would look. Would they put the rink aligned with one side of the stands or place it directly in the middle of the field?

Obviously Giants Stadium would probably be the better choice overall, but I think it would be pretty cool to have it at Yankee Stadium too.

3/11/2008 7:33:55 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hockey/080311

3/11/2008 9:07:36 PM

Quote :

"The House That Scott Gomez Built"

But they play at The Rock now.

That traitor!

3/11/2008 9:22:23 PM

I'd prefer "Home of the Jagrbomb", but someone would probably bitch.

I could definitely see them putting it up against either the first or third base lines. There should be plenty of room.

3/11/2008 10:14:55 PM

I don't like the yankees, I don't like hockey either. And I'm also not a sports "purist".

That being said, I do not think that the last event in Yankee Stadium should be a hockey game. In American sports, as well as our lives, there is very little left that is sacred and special. I would imagine that to many baseball fans, especially Yankee fans, this is especially true for Yankee Stadium.

The hockey game makes sense from a "cool" perspective, as well as from a monetary one. So, most likely another honored institution will be smashed so that some corporate entity can make that much more money.

Yay for endless capitalism!

3/11/2008 10:47:26 PM

I'm the world's biggest baseball purist, but I don't think one hockey game will erase the Yankees' history.

3/11/2008 10:55:55 PM

I doubt it would be Boston playing them. More than likely it would be division rival Pens again so they can market Crosby and Malkin or possibly Washington and Ovechkin

3/12/2008 8:43:56 AM

i doubt Washington if they are worried about the fan base & ratings

3/12/2008 2:54:25 PM