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Toronto Maple Leafs Should Play in 2020 Winter Classic

By Josh Tessler |
TORONTO , ON - JANUARY 1: Some of the record 105,000 fans take in the action between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings during NHL game action during the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic January 1, 2014 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO , ON - JANUARY 1: Some of the record 105,000 fans take in the action between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings during NHL game action during the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic January 1, 2014 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)

Since the Winter Classic matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings in 2014, ratings for the Winter Classic have dropped at a significant rate.

In 2014, 8.2 million people across the United States and Canada watched the Winter Classic match-up featuring the Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. If you remove Canadian viewership, 4.4 million Americans tuned in to the game.

Let’s move to this year’s Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers. The amount of Americans that tuned in hit an all time low of 2.48 million viewers. Unfortunately, I had difficulty locating the viewership statistics for Canadian viewers. But, I can assure you they were low.

The match-up between the Sabres and the Rangers made absolutely no sense. These teams simply don’t consider each other rivals. They might share air time on MSG and might reside in the same state, but these teams are no rivals.

I understand the NHL wanted to have the Winter Classic in New York, but they could have produced higher ratings if they showcased the New York Islanders and the Rangers. The Islanders and Rangers are Metropolitan Division rivals and the Islanders have yet to play in the Winter Classic.

To ensure that ratings for the Winter Classic have a resurgence, the NHL needs to consider the Toronto Maple Leafs as a Winter Classic team.

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On a side note, the NHL needs to do a much better job of ensuring that the Winter Classic game doesn’t take place at the same time as NCAA bowl games. If the Winter Classic game appears at the same time as a major NCAA bowl game, the American market will likely have worse ratings.

Twitter Poll

I recently created a poll on Twitter and asked hockey fans across Canada and the United States their choice of four options for the 2020 Winter Classic. These included match-ups between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Red Wings at Comerica Park, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins at Boston College (BC), the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild at Lambeau Field and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers at Penn State.

Though an admittedly small (and probably biased) sample size, poll respondents chose the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Bruins match-up as their favorite option.

It makes sense that fans preferred to see the Maple Leafs and Bruins battle compared to other teams. Fans tend to be more interested in original six match-ups. Plus the Red Wings and the Maple Leafs have played in two outdoor games already, so fans probably want to see a change in pace.

Venue

I chose BC’s Alumni Stadium as the venue for two reasons. The NHL has already had outdoor games at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park. I can’t imagine the NHL being keen on having another outdoor game at the same site. Also, BC has a stellar athletic department and has brought many championships to the city of Boston over the years.

Many current NHLers attended BC and played for the Eagles including Cam Atkinson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brian Boyle of the New Jersey Devils, Cory Schneider of the Devils, Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Chris Kreider of the Rangers.

BC has also been seen as a powerhouse for collegiate hockey. Since Jerry York became head coach in 1994, they’ve won the NCAA Tournament four times and have played in the Frozen Four twelve times.

Aside from hockey, BC has also been rather successful with their football program. They have an all-time record of 632-454-37 and an all-time bowl record of 14-12. Several notable NFL players and coaches have come from BC as well including Tom Coughlin, Matt Ryan, B.J. Raji, Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlich.

Additionally, BC could work with the NCAA to plan another outdoor game the same weekend. BC could re-purpose the outdoor rink and battle fellow Commonwealth Avenue foe, Boston University.

Next: Why Freddy 'the Goat' Gauthier Has to Stay in the NHL

Toronto and Boston is the perfect game, the venue is perfect and it will sell out and garner huge viewership numbers. What’s not to love?

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