Brian Campbell on the Winter Classic

From Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune:

"It was mayhem," the Hawks' newly acquired free-agent defenseman said Tuesday about the game Jan. 1 in Buffalo. "If it's here in Chicago, the buzz would just be tremendous. It was a lot of fun for the whole city of Buffalo and western New York."

As the Hawks—and the rest of the hockey world—await official word from the league on the team playing host to the Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Day at Wrigley Field, Campbell met the media at the United Center to discuss his role with his new team and recalled playing in last season's outdoor game as a member of the Sabres.

"With the snow and the weather the way it was, the buzz in the city was all wrapped around that game," said Campbell, who signed an eight-year, $56.8 million contract with the Hawks on July 1.

Read the entire article here.

The Winter Classic is great for the NHL in every way imaginable. This year's reported game at Wrigley should be as good, if not better than last year's.

Wrigley Field to host New Year's Day game

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

According to a knowledgeable source, it’s official. The NHL’s second outdoor Winter Classic will take place New Year’s Day at the storied Wrigley Field when the Blackhawks take on the Stanley Cup-champion Detroit Red Wings.

An announcement is expected next week in the days leading up to the three-day inaugural “Blackhawks Convention” at the Chicago Hilton.

Read the entire entry from Russo's Rants here.

Should be a fun New Year's day game. The fact that Wrigley Field is hosting the game makes it much more intriguing than watching a game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Having Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane playing doesn't hurt either.

The Outdoor Game may not be in New York

Larry Brooks: "The NHL needs to make commitment to the Winter Classic's host city within the next week or two. If the Rangers are awarded the game, it is believed they would meet the Bruins on New Year's Day in what would be the first of a home-and-home, with the return at Fenway on a year to be named later."

Here is the full article from the NY Post.

It appears the NHL's first choice is to have the game in New York and why not? However, the concern that the New York arrangement won't work does not seem that concerning to me as long as the NHL has Chicago and Wrigley Field as its second choice (which it does). Either of these two choices are terrific and whichever stadium is chosen to host the event, I'm sure will do a great job. As much mystique as the Rangers organization carries with it, an opportunity to watch Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane at Wrigley Field may be even more appealing than Scott Gomez and Henrik Lundqvist.