Sports Betting Companies Note Two Winter Classics. Next season there will be two Winter Classic’s on the hockey odds board at sports betting companies. In recent years there has been just one outdoor hockey game each season but next year there will be two. Sportsbetting odds will be available when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field on New Year’s Day and on February 20th when the Calgary Flames host the Montreal Canadians at McMahon Stadium.
Sports betting companies get more action on the Winter Classic hockey games than other games because they are high profile games on national television. With the Penguins playing host to the Capitals at Heinz Field there probably couldn’t be a better matchup. It will be Sidney Crosby and the Penguins against Alex Ovehkin and the Capitals. It should be a great ratings game for television.
Baseball stadiums have been the site of the last two Winter Classics. Two years ago it was the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Last year it was the Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park in Boston.
The expansion to two Winter Classics was simply an effort by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to get Canada involved. The problem with involving Canadian teams is that the luster of the Winter Classic is lost a little bit. With a great matchup on tap between Washington and Pittsburgh with the two biggest stars in the game in Crosby and Ovechkin it shouldn’t matter this time but the game in Calgary may not get much sportsbetting attention except from the fans in Canada.
The Winter Classic will be popular again next season since it features Crosby and Ovechkin but the game may start to lose some of its luster with two games each season. The uniqueness of having a game outside will not be as strong with two games. Having a game in Canada is great for Canadian fans but the game really doesn’t appeal as much to viewers in the United States. The only thing that might make the game interesting is the weather in Calgary which could be brutal in late February. The game might be fun to watch simply because it might be snowing when they drop the puck.