The 2017 Winter Classic was a soggy, fun, exhilarating, cold, moving and exciting experience. The event was a memorable one, placing two teams with plenty of history out in the elements at Busch Stadium. The weather appeared to be the biggest story, but the rain mostly held off and the Blues treated the huge crowd to a 4-1 win.
Let’s start at the beginning.
I’ve never been to an outdoor hockey game. The idea of the Blues playing in the Winter Classic was exciting, but I’ll admit I’ve grown “outdoor game fatigued” thanks to the NHL scheduling way more outdoor games than they should. They’ve watered down what should be a rare occasion.
That being said, watching the Alumni Game on TV started to weaken my position. It was great – awesome even – to see the Blues at the focal point of a major NHL event. Sure, the Blackhawks were once again picked as the darlings of the league, but the Blues were playing host. Yes, there are way too many outdoor games, but there’s no denying the Winter Classic and playing outside really is something special.
So, when I lucked into a ticket for the Winter Classic, I jumped on it.
I, like many Blues fans, started my day by checking to see if the NHL would push the start of the game back due to the weather. At 7am, or shortly after, the official announcement came out that the noon start time would hold, whatever the weather. That seemed like a really foolish idea from the league known for making foolish decisions. I mentally prepared myself to spend a long, long time at Busch Stadium as I assumed, based on all of the forecasts, that a delay would be unavoidable.
First stop: Busch Stadium Team Store to check out the Winter Classic merchandise.
The hot item appeared to be the team toques (I couldn’t resist getting one), but there were actually fewer items than I would have expected. There were a lot of various items with the Winter Classic logo, but the jersey selection was pretty lacking if you were any size smaller than a two or three XL.
With toque acquired (a great purchase – very warm) it was off to the Winter Classic Pregame held over in the parking lots of Ballpark Village. This was … interesting … as it was a bunch of random vendors and ideas lumped into one space. I’ve got to admit, I love the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, but seeing that and the giant peanut car that Mr. Peanut apparently rides in alongside Winter Classic gear was just a bit strange.
The area itself for The Pregame was a good size, but there wasn’t too much to actually do. There were several places for fans to shoot pucks and one strange snow globe sponsored by Velveeta, but that’s about it. The real draw for most people was seeing Nelly, which was one of the highlights of the day.
Nelly came out just as the rain had really picked up (poncho for the win!) and he played all the fan favorites. His set could have been a real short one, but it lasted much longer than anticipated which led to a scramble to head to the stadium in order to make the actual pregame festivities.
Security to enter Busch was pretty insane. Lines stretched down the sidewalk with little actual movement. The rain continued to fall and it became a rare sight to see anyone without a rain jacket or poncho.
Once inside, that’s when things finally fell into perspective. I finally understood how the NHL has been able to get away with scheduling more and more outdoor games.
I mean … this view:
My seats were actually on the lower level near the Blues dugout (that still sounds weird), but the overall feeling and view are summed up pretty well in the photo above.
The whole area was foggy which actually added a very cool atmosphere over the whole arena. It wasn’t going to snow, so fog was probably the next best thing.
The fireworks, fire and smoke all assisted in making a big-game feeling. Said smoke had a difficult time clearing up which made for some fun pictures.
The NHL, the group who routinely makes the Blues feel forgotten, did a great job making the event feel like a really important thing. That obviously is because the NHL wants the event to succeed in order to make money, but it came off as such a success that you couldn’t help but feel that the NHL put their best foot forward for reasons beyond the dollar.
The game itself was admittedly hard to see. That’s the biggest complaint about outdoor hockey games as the boards and the distance between the fans and the rink are big obstacles when it comes to actually watching the game. That sounds like it’d be a sizable problem which could ruin the whole spectacle, but it’s the spectacle of everything surrounding the game itself that makes this a point which can be forgiven.
Thankfully, the Cardinals’ scoreboard is enormous and made it really easy to follow the game when the puck drifted into an area that the boards blocked. However, the “wait for the whistle” rule was hardly followed by the Winter Classic crowd which also contributed to some difficulties following the puck even with the giant screen.
One quick note there – showing replays during live play at a game where most of the views are obstructed in some way is a really, really dumb idea. Many fans are counting on the scoreboard to actually watch the game. All replays should come during a stoppage.
After a sloppy start in the first where the Blues looked like a team that had no idea how to communicate in a new environment, they settled down and looked pretty solid. They controlled much of the game, though that’s a fact I’m sure the Blackhawks fans who were sitting near me would dispute.
Tarasenko rose to the occasion and the end result was a victory for the Blues. The Winter Classic was over almost as quickly as it began. Fans left feeling that they saw something unique and special which means that soggy weather aside, the NHL produced yet another outdoor winner.
Who knows when or if the Blues will host another outdoor game. If not, the team and the whole city should be proud of the 2017 Winter Classic and what a great event it was for all who attended.
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