Still waiting for the Winter Classic to make its first trip to the West Coast?
Dont hold your breath.
NHL Chief Operating Officer, and brainchild behind the event, John Collins recently said that a game played in the Pacific Time zone is not feasible due mainly to the start time for the nationally televised broadcast.
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According to the New York Times:
Collins suggested that a game on the West Coast was unlikely. We have a window at 1 oclock on New Years Day, so that limits your ability to go west, he said. We like that window, and we like the family environment at these games. I think part of that is playing at 1 oclock.
So, for those of you with hopes of seeing the Sharks host, say, the Kings at the beautiful AT&T Park in San Franciscothat doesnt appear to be anything the league will even consider at this point.
That isnt to say the game wont feature teams from what is now the Western Conference, though. Collins told the Times that games in Minnesota and Detroit are a possibility. The furthest West the Winter Classic has made it was Wrigley Field in 2009, when the Blackhawks hosted the Red Wings.
San Jose Sharks
The Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Rangers outdoors at Citizens Bank Park Monday on NBC. It is the fifth Winter Classic overall, and fourth time the game has been in an Eastern Conference city.