2012 NHL Winter Classic, Gary Bettman: It was "A Really Terrific Day"
by Joe Fortunato on Jan 3, 2012 12:01 PM EST
in New York Rangers Analysis
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The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers slugged it out Monday afternoon, under the lights at Citizens Bank Park with a gentle snowfall coming down from above.
Yes, the Winter Classic is always, and will always, be a very special event for the teams and fan bases involved. But the 2012 Winter Classic was special for other reasons. Sure, the game was outdoors, but the Rangers and the Flyers weren't just battling for Winter Classic bragging rights, they were battling for first place.
Let's not mince words here: NBC struck gold with this matchup and the game itself. Both teams are off to brilliant seasons and the game itself probably couldn't have been any more exciting or jaw-dropping, which is probably why NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was smiling from ear to ear after all was said and done.
"I guess you could say a rivalry outdoors is as good as one indoors," he said after the game. "We had a terrific day. It's not every day that an event can actually equal or exceed the hype and the buzz that goes with it, but I think we had -- without regard to who you root for -- a really terrific day."
Join me after the jump for more.
One of the best parts of the game was the atmosphere, especially since the game was worth so much in the standings. They actually opened the windows in the press box -- the first time they've ever done that for w Winter Classic -- so even from press row you could feel the swelling of emotions as the game intensified down the stretch.
"The crowd was terrific," Bettman said. "The fans here in Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia were great. Obviously, there were a number of fans who traveled from a great distance to come here, as well, and that was great to see. I want to do a fair amount of thank you-ing, starting with David Montgomery of the Phillies and Citizens Bank Park staffs. They were just terrific. Obviously the Rangers and Flyers for being as cooperative and as engaged as they were in the event."
Bettman also wanted to tip his cap to the behind-the-scenes people who helped make the Classic happen.
"From an NHL standpoint, Don Renzulli, who runs special events; Dan Craig, who is the ice guru, they did a spectacular job," he said. "And this event continues to grow and get stronger, as evidenced by the ancillary events, such as the Alumni Game two days ago. So we thank everybody who was involved, and we felt we had a really good day."
I was very impressed by the venue itself. It was cool being able to look down at the ice while also seeing the Philadelphia skyline in the background of the stadium. I also though the grandstands added in what would have been center field was very well done.
"It was spectacular," Bettman said of Citizens Bank Park. "We could not have asked for any more from the event. And I think the Alumni Game was a great appetizer to the main event today -- having 45,000 people in here on Saturday -- and just the entire reception in the city, the buzz throughout the city, and the crowd today was great. This was just a terrific event for us, and we are grateful to everybody who was involved, particularly and including the City of Philadelphia."
Bettman also said he "doesn't know where we are going next year," so nothing is set in stone for the 2013 NHL Winter Classic. The general consensus right now is that the Detroit Red Wings will host it, but that's just pure speculation.
Regardless of next year, this year's Classic was an absolute home run. And when the Winter Classic is doing well, the game of hockey is doing well too.
And in the end, that's really all that matter during an event like this.
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All that really mattered...
… is that we beat their asses. Unless of course you’re a Flyer blogger – http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2012/1/2/2678137/philadelphia-flyers-new-york-rangers-winter-classic-2012
just read the title and burst out in laughter
typical philly bs haha
It’s dismissive as all hell, but nobody can tell me that some here wouldn’t be doing the same thing if the tides were turned (excluding the fact that the officiating could have cost us a win).
A win vs. hated rivals in a game like this is probably worth a 7-game playoff series in terms of involvement and emotional investment.
I think that post is also serving the purpose of trying to cool down the commenting base over there because there’s a lot of “trade him, sign this guy, murder this guy shoulda woulda coulda” type-shit that you see here after a bad loss.
Now Bettman has to work on the officials calling a fair and unbiased game. Shame on the refs for those terrible calls. They should be fined for there wrong doing, maybe that will clean it up a bit.
Ditto… and I’m quite sure Joe would have included this in the story – but understandably, we’d like a media credential next year!
For what it’s worth, this game isn’t about the hardcore fan. This game is about…well money, of course, but also for drawing national attention to the NHL and trying to attract outside fans who would like something outside of football on Sundays (basketball sucks). For the most part, those outside fans probably didn’t understand much of what was going on other than the fact that it was really exciting (which it was).
Under those facets, this game was a mind-blowing success. It’s sure to attract even more media attention, fan attraction, and sell-out whatever venue they can fit an ice-rink into.
Bashing the refereeing is quite understandable, but it’s quite ancillary to what Joe is saying here.
I want to see some western teams play
Enough of these Pennsylvania teams . Shark, ducks, Wild, Colorado. Anyone else agree?
"It's far from done, but we did get something accomplished."-#19 B.Richards
by -19-AgainstAll on Jan 3, 2012 1:02 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I agree. I’d love to see a Wild vs. Avs game. Avs instantly became my 2nd favorite team when they moved there. They’ve got a lot of young exciting players that just need to put it all together and stay healthy. Plus I think both markets would go absolutely crazy for something like the Winter Classic.
by Eastern Impact on Jan 3, 2012 1:12 PM EST up reply actions
No market
the NHL needs ratings for the Winter Classic, and the Avs and Wild would only draw those market’s fans. The NHL needs to make “safe” choices for the Winter Classic for at least the next few years.
Re: Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals, Blackhawks, Bruins, Red Wings, MAYBE Montreal (seems like a team from Canada might make it soon).
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
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by Joe Fortunato on Jan 3, 2012 1:36 PM EST up reply actions
it’s a shame that Bettman fails to recognize what the game is really about. i wish he would take his misguided goals (along with his talks of a bigger net) and just go away.
i love this game and have for such a long time, it’s become a challenge to ignore the BS that is now a part of it. not one media talking head on tv or the internet has mentioned the questionable officiating that sullied the end of that game. we all know why, but how typical of modern day sports. chase the $ at the cost of integrity.
Go Rangers. Keep up the hard work.
Shoot the puck Barry!!!
does anyone have video of the timo/callahan hook/holding the stick call?
everyones talking about it but i didnt get a good look at it during the game and cant find any replays of it
just more poor officiating
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
From what I saw, the puck made it up to Callahan along our boards close to the blueline. Timmonen was at the blueline trying to hold the puck in. Cally skated at Timmonen, chipped the puck up the glass and past Timmonen. Cally cut around to Kimmo’s right and blew past him. There was a Flyer coming from the other side but I think had no chance to get to Cally before he got the puck and dunked the empty-netter.
As Cally blew past Timmonen, Kimmo hooked Callahan and the stick rode up into Ryan’s neck, at which point Cally dropped and grabbed at the stick to knock it away. Timmonen was cleanly beaten and hooked because of it. Callahan grabbed the stick to get it off his throat.
Some thought Cally dove. Why would he? He had Timmonen beaten to a loose puck and an empty-net goal. And holding the stick? Please, you get hooked near your throat and don’t do anything. I think technically Callahan should have been awarded a goal as the rule states if you’re on a breakaway against an empty-net, if they take a penalty against you, it’s an automatic goal. Though he didn’t have control of the puck. Either way, it was a fucking garbage call. Timmonen knowingly took a penalty to stop what would have been an empty-net goal, so it at least should have been a PP for the Rangers and a face-off in Philly’s zone.
Listen, I thought the officiating was poor, and didn’t think it was “diving”, but to say the hook was up at Cally’s throat, when he grabbed the stick is just inaccurate. I took a close look at the slow-mo replay because I was furious when they called it… upon seeing it, I was less furious, but still upset… less furious because Cally grabbed the stick when it was around bicep/armpit. It never got to his neck.
On NHL Home Ice this morning
on Sirius-XM it was intimated that Torts may get fined for his criticism of the officiating/referees. He wondered if NBC and the refs were working together to try and get the game to overtime. Can he be fined for saying stuff like that? Of course, he was totally justified in saying it and I commend him for having the balls to say it.
Best Rangers day: May 27, 1994
Worst Rangers day: April 10, 1984
All Torts did was saying the truth. The Refs are good guys, but their game that day was disgusting.
by NYR #35 Richter on Jan 3, 2012 2:10 PM EST up reply actions
I’d be surprised if the league fines Torts here… all it would do is draw more attention to what went on in those final minutes – and I gotta believe Bettman and his boys don’t want to see those replays for the next few days. If the NHL does fine him, it’s out of sheer stupidity for their own lackluster product – and it will be worth every penny Torts pays to expose it further. This is PR 101 – don’t turn a one day story into a three day story. We’ll see who gets the last laugh.
Have another doughnut
I am a causual hockey fan and I agree
those refs were giving the Flyers every chance to win, it was hilarious
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
I think that was satirical by the coach. I really doubt he’s insinuating a grand conspiracy theory to get a game into overtime. The refs got caught up in the moment and started seeing what they wanted to see (McDonagh delay-of-game?). The freezing of the puck in the crease just baffles the shit out of me. 2 minutes earlier they lost sight of the puck when it was clearly loose (it happened earlier in the game too) yet they were able to determine that a player sliding through the crease covered the puck with his hand for a split-second during a scramble involving ~6 players while having absolutely NO line-of-sight to the puck.
It’s the refs getting so caught up in the moment that they just saw or didn’t see what they wanted or didn’t want to see. The real sad part is that this happens damn near on a nightly basis. That it happened in a game of this magnitude finally shines some light on the situation of poor officiating league-wide.
We almost got screwed, Philly had some tough breaks too. That’s the way to attack this. When people start cooking up conspiracy theories about the league or official bias it just looks like petty bitching. Torts would have done himself, the fans, and ultimately the league much much more good if he had attacked the officiating from a standpoint of “we thought some of the calls in this game were disgraceful. You have 2 teams fighting for 2 points and you can’t have referees making phantom calls or picking and choosing what they do and do not see.”
I’d actually agree, as I thought the officiating was craptastic throughout the game. There were at least 2 points where I thought the Flyers were seconds from the puck going in the net and they blew the play dead.
Which, incidentally, is why I think the delay of game got called more than anything. The rule states as follows (directly from the NHL website)
63.2 Minor Penalty – A minor penalty shall be imposed on any player, including the goalkeeper, who holds, freezes or plays the puck with his stick, skates or body in such a manner as to deliberately cause a stoppage of play. With regard to a goalkeeper, this rule applies outside of his goal crease area…
A minor penalty shall be imposed on a player other than the goalkeeper who deliberately falls on or gathers the puck into his body. Any player who drops to his knees to block a shot should not be penalized if the puck is shot under him or becomes lodged in his clothing or equipment but any use of the hands to make the puck unplayable should be penalized promptly.
Emphasis mine. Now, we rarely, if ever see this interpretation called, but by the letter of the rules it happened. We, meaning the fans, think of “Closing the hand on the puck” as the rule becuase that’s where we usually see the call, but the refs were within the rules. So, why the inconsitency? I think the refs realized they screwed up with the play blown dead when it should not have been, and this is one of those infamous, idiotic “Make up calls”.
As Caerid notes, the officiating has been notably poor for some time now. Think back to the last Cup Playoffs when someone had to say “We’re going to start calling Diving, we mean it!” and then puffed up proud like it was some kind of win for us that they might do their job. There was a point, last year, when the Flyer’s got utterly screwed by a late call on Pronger (under, ironically, the Avery rule) and Colin Campbell’s EXACT words were: “Well, do you want it slow and right or fast and wrong?” How about fast AND right, genius?
The teams, Coaches, GM’s and owners need to take a measure, uniform response to up the quality of officiating.
in the replay you can only see McD sliding into the crease and hitting the puck. By the end of the play the puck was free and moving on the side of the net. No penalty was called, nor penalty shot signaled and no goal was signaled.
there’s only one way to reverse the on-ice call (no penalty, it was reviewed only to check if it was a goal), they’d need to have 100% proof McD covered it (same as you need 100% proof to reverse a “good goal” or “bad goal” on-ice call)
There are 0 camera angles showing where the puck ends up after it bounces off McD.
I tried to spot it but it’s definitely hard to find it.
but yes if they had 100% proof that McD, in any way, covered the puck resulting in the stoppage then it should indeed be a penalty shot. I just dont see the 100% proof.
Hence why, 9.9 times out of 10, you won’t see that happen. I never said it was a GOOD call. But the refs knew they screwed up some other things, and then start this “Make up call” nonsense by trying to pull every chintzy call out of the rulebook. We saw it happen during 24/7 when they flat out told Talbot they made a bad call to make up for not calling him on earlier things.
The problem is it isn’t a zero-sum game, and as you “make up” what you missed, the other side gets steamed, cries foul, then they start going the other way. It’s one of the primary problems with the refs is that they don’t admit publicly they were wrong… so they try to fix it by making another bad call and the whole thing spins around until we don’t know what’s a real call anymore.
Good points, and we’ve seen bits of that mentality on 24/7 when one of the refs (forgive me I forget the name) told Talbot that he didn’t deserve a penalty for what he was whistled for, but it was just “an accumulation of things over that shift” which is just an absolute steaming pile of horseshit. Either something’s a penalty or it isn’t.
It was such a blatant guess by the ref on that one. He loses sight of the puck twice during the game, once I can understand, but the other was just a total lack of good positioning on his part, yet he can determine a player specifically covered the puck when all that mayhem was going on when the puck was pretty much knocked right out of the crease.
Too many mistakes in all of life are people making a small mistake and then intentionally doing stupid, cockamamie things to try and fix it, and henceforth screwing it up beyond repair. This was one of those times.
Tort's rant
I don’t know about his conspiracy theory but the calls did seem conspicuously and increasingly lopsided and designed to keep the game going. I do know that I watched the Islanders/’canes game and the Dallas/Detroit game and both commentators went on and on about how terrific the Winter Classic was (which it was) and how it was a win for the NHL… certainly felt like canned commentary.
It was wrong how they set up torts with that question. They media said something like… Henrik though the officiating was in the flyers favor What do you think? Henrik did not blatantly say that, the media was trying to get the reaction out of Tortorella. He just answered the question truthfully no way he should get fined for that.
Torts has to get a fine for his comments....
I have never been a huge Torts fan, but I loved the way he ripped the refs after the game.
The McDonagh delay of game penalty was a joke…..Callahans holding the stick penalty was something out of the WWF….
This was a national TV game…I talked my in laws into watching the game and they liked it, until the last few minutes, when even I could not explain to them what was going on….the refs were beyond pathetic…..NBC announcers set a new standard in miserable broadcasting history, and Bettman thinks everything went fine? If the NHL thinks, refs trying to control the outcome of a game is the future of this league, Bettman must go NOW.
As far as the announcers go…if they went all bock-choy on the officiating it would have been a giant black-eye on the league and the game as a whole.
There’s also an important quote people need to remember: “It’s tough to make a man understand something when his paycheck requires him to not understand it.”
NBC vs CBC.....CBC wins hands downs
Getting tired of this PC crap…..what ever happen to telling the truth….call the game straight….not just to please the NHL or your home team?
Just watched the end of the Canadian broadcast on the NHL channel and they called the McDonagh delay of game penalty a bad call five times, they questioned the no call on the Gaborik break away, had questions about the Callahan penalty….also questioned the penalty shot call.
The CBC needs the NHL just like the NBC does, yet they have no problem calling the game straight….
Jagr
Groin strain. Out 7-10 days
Lol
R.I.P Derek
Rangers FTW!
by BleedsRangerBlue on Jan 3, 2012 4:27 PM EST via mobile reply actions
well the guy is 40 heh
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
OK...
the caption under the pic is hilarious. Just re-read it
R.I.P Derek
Rangers FTW!
by BleedsRangerBlue on Jan 3, 2012 7:04 PM EST reply actions
Kolarik
I want his winter classic jersey
I spent 90% of my money on woman and drink. The rest I wasted.
- George Best
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