This week’s Winter Classic outdoor game was an all-around success for the National Hockey League. The game gave the league its best American television ratings since Wayne Gretzky’s final bow in 1999. The contest was well played and the weather more or less cooperated, with the snow providing the perfect atmosphere for outdoor hockey. The 71,000-plus enthusiastic fans who braved the cold and stayed until the shootout was completed certainly added to the atmosphere. NHL hockey was an event in the American sports consciousness, something the league wants and needs to happen much more frequently.

This was the second outdoor game in modern NHL history, the first was played in 2003 when the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. That game was drew large and enthusiastic crowds and solid television ratings in Canada. The University of Michigan and Michigan State also held a successful outdoor college hockey game in 2001 that was attended by more than 74,000 fans.

The outdoor game was a rare public relations coup for the NHL in the United States and definitely helped expose the game of hockey to millions of new and casual fans who don’t tune in to watch the NHL on a regular basis. It also allowed the league to showcase Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to millions of people who may have heard the names but had no idea what these talented players can do. This positive exposure is something the league has desperately been seeking and really needs if it is to increase its popularity on the American sports scene.

There have been calls to make an outdoor game an annual event. The concept is a good one, but there are some problems the league has to solve before this can go forward. That being said, there are plenty of solutions that can be found to make outdoor hockey an annual occurrence in the NHL.

The biggest obstacle is the weather itself which cannot be guaranteed. If the conditions are not favorable, the game may have to be canceled which would certainly not thrill NBC or any other TV network trying to cover the game. If there is too much snow falling or the wind is too strong, it could diminish the fairness and integrity of the game or even make it impossible to play at all. Rain would also be a big problem as that could even make it dangerous to skate on the ice. Weather that is too warm or too cold may also be a problem. The last thing the league needs is the site of players skating on a poorly maintained or constructed ice surface. Worse yet would be a career-ending injury to a player skating on poor ice which would be a PR-disaster for the league. That being said, the weather was not a major problem for any of the three outdoor games that have been played so far, so clearly, the weather is something that can be dealt with.

Travel schedules for the teams involved and the fans who purchased tickets would be a problem as well if the game had to be played a day later because of prevailing weather conditions. If the game is played in poor conditions, that is not fair to the players who may be risking injury or have their stats undermined depending on the situation. It would also create problems for the teams involved and their travel schedules and the plans of fans who may be traveling to the game from out of town.

There are obviously some teams that cannot host an outdoor game unless there are significant improvements in technology. I doubt there will be an outdoor NHL game in Tampa Bay, Phoenix or Los Angeles any time soon, but who knows what future may bring. Eventually, this could be a unique way to introduce the NHL to new fans in warm-weather cities but for now, a game in the desert or any warm weather city is highly unlikely.

There are many intriguing possibilities for outdoor games. A Rangers-Islanders game or a Rangers-Devils at one of the local baseball or football stadiums would be a huge draw in New York. It may also be a special way to close Shea or Yankee Stadium, both of which are scheduled to be demolished sometime in 2009. Selling tickets would certainly not be a problem.

A Boston-Montreal or Detroit-Toronto game would also draw very well. There is little doubt Minnesota could host an outdoor game and sell the necessary number of tickets as could Philadelphia or any of the league’s Canadian cities. Rotating the game among these northern NHL cities would keep live ticket sales high as the novelty of the game would be fresh in each market much like the league rotates the All-Star Game.

Perhaps some of the novelty of an outdoor NHL game will wear off if it is made an annual event. But the sheer spectacle of the game and the change of venue each year would help keep it fresh. This is an idea the NHL should and must explore further. As long as the conditions allow the game’s legitimacy to be maintained, outdoor hockey would be a great annual event for the NHL and hockey fans across North America.

Perhaps, 2007 will be remembered as the NHL’s First Winter Classic. It’s something the NHL definitely needs to explore.