The NHL is pretty bad at keeping secrets. Reports of the Blues hosting the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium slipped out weeks ago. Word spread, and yet the NHL kept their lips closed on the topic despite more and more outlets running the story. Finally, prior to the Blackhawks and Blues battling at Scottrade, the NHL made the news official.
Bettman confirms the news that Busch Stadium will be host of 2017 Winter Classic. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) March 10, 2016
At the very least, it was kind of the NHL to let the word slip out weeks in advance so that all of the media could have their stories written long ahead of time.
It’s great to see the Blues not only host an outdoor game, but host the Winter Classic. Unfortunately, it comes at a time in which the NHL has watered down the market for outdoor games and removed most of the novelty in playing outside. Still, the event will be a hit.
The Blackhawks might be the obvious rival, but it would have been a bit more refreshing to see a different team compete. The Blackhawks have overstayed their welcome in outdoor games, rivalry are not. A matchup against Minnesota or Dallas could have really built a future rivalry.
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