Every year, since 2008, the NHL {National Hockey League} has held a Winter Classic. The Winter Classic is a hockey game held outside, usually at a football stadium or baseball stadium. The first Winter Classic was held at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. It was a game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the success of the 2003 Heritage Classic, they decided they would do a Winter Classic. It then became a tradition, usually held on January 1st. The only time since 2008 that there wasn’t a Winter Classic was in 2013 due to an NHL lockout.

The Winter Classic, along with the All Star Games, is the most popular NHL events. But this year, the Winter Classic had the lowest ratings out of all the Winter Classic’s. Why? It was the Boston Bruins vs the Montreal Canadiens. This year was the Bruins second Winter Classic. Not only were the teams uninteresting, the home team {Boston Bruins} lost 5-1!

The 2016 Winter Classic was held on January 1st, at 1pm. It was held at Gillette Stadium.

The hype for the game was lively, but no one expected the Bruins to lose, especially by four goals. Since the Winter Classic is held outdoors, weather can affect the game, but that most likely wasn’t the problem. The weather was perfect for an outdoor hockey game.

This game had low ratings because of the score. A 2-1 loss isn’t that bad, but 5-1 is. Not only did this game matter to the fans, but it also matters in the standings. Before the game, the Bruins were only a couple points away from being second in the Atlantic Division, since the Winter Classic, they’ve fell down to the second wild card spot. This game ended good for the Canadiens, and bad for the Bruins.

Overall, in my opinion, the Winter Classic is important. I feel that the Winter Classic represents pond hockey, where hockey basically originated. Although safety precautions are important too, they can be dealt with. I can’t think of a reason why someone wouldn’t like the Winter Classic. Although the same teams playing can get annoying, it is still a fascinating and interesting game to watch.