Another outdoor game?

Oh, hello there. When Vic wasn’t looking, I pulled the plug on the jukebox. That’s what happens, Vic, when you give the night watchman the keys to the kingdom.

And, in a move that is not designed to rile Vic – but may do so, anyway – I am going to use basketball to make a point about hockey.

That’s because I think we have officially jumped the shark when it comes to these outdoor hockey games. When the Harlem Globetrotters swipe your idea and play their game outside on ice, then maybe it’s time to shelve outdoor hockey for a while.

The problem with outdoor hockey games is this: there are too many of them. The Winter Classic seems firmly fixed on Jan. 1. There are rumblings the NHL is considering adding a second outdoor game next season, something for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to televise, presumably involving two Canadian teams and most likely to be played on Hockey Day in Canada. If you missed Saturday’s outdoor college game at Camp Randall Stadium between Michigan and Wisconsin (scroll down for the video), Michigan and Michigan State will play outdoors Dec. 11 at Michigan Stadium, a reprise of their first outdoor meeting nine years ago (video above). In the American Hockey League, Binghamton will play outdoors at Syracuse on Feb. 20. Many NHL teams have outdoor practices.

Whoa, already. The novelty is gone. Over. Done.

There is no denying the Winter Classic has been a financial windfall for the league. If you liken the tenure of Commissioner Gary Bettman to a shootout, the Winter Classic has been that sharp wrister that never misses the five hole.

But how long before these outdoor extravaganzas turn into that fancy deke attempt that dribbles off your blade? At this rate, not much longer. Oh, yeah, it’s New Year’s Day and time for the outdoor hockey game. The Rose Bowl is on Jan. 1, too, and it used to be a big deal for a long time. Now, it is another televised moment, one that comes on shortly after the Outback Steakhouse Bowl concludes.

Give the fringe fan a reason to watch hockey being played outdoors. Make them want to see the game by doling it out in smaller amounts, maybe every other year if it must be played on New Year’s Day. This corner likes the idea of heading outside with the all-star game, a property that has been kicked hard to the curb by the rise of outdoor hockey.

The venues are also losing their lustre. The game has been played in a football stadium and on hallowed baseball grounds. What else is left? The cricket pitch?

Wait a minute, you could always bring the game indoors, you know, installing the ice over a basketball floor.

Oh, but who’d go see that?

Don't Look Too Far Ahead

Rearranging the coasters on the Lounge bar.

*** With a 4-2 victory last night at Honda Center, the Anaheim Ducks put a period on a record winning streak by the Los Angeles Kings. The downside? Ryan Getzlaf. Down on the ice. Sprained ankle.

Did you hear that, Canada? Someone you are counting on for grit and a scoring touch in the Vancouver Games is on crutches. Getzlaf's status will be re-examined today.

And that is what passes for heart-stopping moments as we approach the Olympic men's hockey tournament, which begins next week. Any injury, however slight, will cause GMs in the NHL as well as the men running the Olympic teams to reflect, re-evaluate and resolve to remain committed to NHLers in the Olympics.



*** This video might appear a bit old -- it's from Saturday -- but not as old as some of the pretzels served here in the Lounge.

Michigan at Wisconsin at Camp Randall stadium. Gotta warm up the hockey crowd somehow. Did someone say House of Pain? Time to jump around and recirculate the blood, or whatever antifreeze that is not doing the job at the moment.

The Badgers won. Camp Randall still standing. A nice scene. Glad I was indoors, watching in the Lounge.

*** Back to the Olympics. NHL.com has a page devoted to the Vancouver games -- All Access Vancouver -- with rosters, features, schedules and, one assumes, plenty of stats and summaries as we move toward Russia defeating Canada for the gold medal. Yes, that's my pick, even though I am not firmly behind the goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov and Ilya Bryzgalov.

As for the United States, I see problems in goal, a lack of size up front and a defense that is not a strong as some of the tournament entries. I see a loss to the Swedes in the bronze medal game.

What say you?

*** Some lucky fans in North America will not have to pay to watch the Carolina Hurricanes face the Minnesota Wild next season. Those two teams will open the 2010-11 season with a double dip in Helsinki.

Also heading to Europe for two games are the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes. The Blue Jackets and Sharks will play twice in Stockholm; the Bruins and Coyotes will meet twice in Prague.

*** Roy MacGregor of The Toronto Globe and Mail gets to have the final word in the Lounge when it comes to Bob Gainey, who leaves the Montreal Canadiens in much the same way he found it. A franchise with great history, a hallowed sweater and few players worthy of wearing it.