Seattle Sports Fill-In Episode 2 (Segment 2)

The Weekend Show in Seattle discusses the upcoming Seattle Crackin' Hockey Winter Classic game. The host talks about the history of the Winter Classic, how it is meant to be played outdoors in snowy conditions, but Seattle's game will be partly cloudy with no snow. They mention that sight lines might not be great at T-Mobile Park and advise bringing binoculars. The host emphasizes the importance of the game for Seattle's enthusiasm, team performance, and showcasing the city. They express concern about the lack of snow and the high ticket prices. Despite this, they believe Seattle is the best place for the team and predicts an interesting game. This is the Weekend Show here at Seattle Sports, my name is Warren, it's the Weekend Show. We're going to be discussing one of my favorite topics coming up here next on the show, Seattle Crackin' Hockey and the NHL. Got the winter classic coming to town here in Seattle at T-Mobile Park. Days away at the point, January 1st, New Year's Day, T-Mobile Park. It's going to be so much fun to watch that on TV, or if you're lucky enough to be going in person. I don't get to go in person, I didn't get tickets unfortunately, but maybe you are, maybe you're listening right now thinking, hey Warren, I'm going there this weekend, I'm so excited to see this. What can I expect? Well, I guess you could say you're in for a treat in some ways, and probably not so much of a treat in other ways. We will discuss all of that coming up here on the show, and I think I want to start off by saying the winter classic really is something special, because as we know, hockey was meant to be played outside on a frozen lake, a frozen pond, and this is kind of the NHL's way of kind of getting back to that old school mentality of trying to get the players out there, enjoying the great outdoors, the blue sky over their head. And there have been some amazing games over the past couple of years or so. I think this kind of started back around 2010 or so, if I'm not mistaken. I think it was Buffalo and Pittsburgh that played the first winter classic, and that was a fun game. They were outside. The snow was falling. It had everything you ever wanted to see in a winter classic, and then some. And I think it's safe to say the winter classic in Seattle probably will not be like that. Looking at the forecast right now, looking at a high of around 47 degrees and partly cloudy for your New Year's Day in Seattle. So we're not going to be seeing the snow. Might see a raindrop or two, so as you know, at T-Mobile Park, they might be closing up the roof just to make sure that that doesn't affect the ice. And I think that kind of takes away a bit of the charm of the winter classic when you don't have any snow, you don't have that winter weather to be outside and playing in, of course. And I think the other issue that comes along with the winter classic, of course, is the sight lines. And going to a game like this, you really are going for the experience. You're not going to be very close to the action. Having the ice in the middle of a field like T-Mobile Park's field is not ideal for sight lines, things like that. So if you're going to that game, I'm going to tell you right now, bring your binoculars. You definitely will need that just to make sure you're good to go so you can see what's happening. It's really not the ideal way to watch a game. But I think this really is an important experience for Seattle to have. And that's because, you know, we've lost teams before. We know what it's like to lose a Seattle Sonics to, you know, Oklahoma City in that case. And we don't want to lose any more teams. We want to be sure that we've got all the enthusiasm we possibly can. And as you've seen, the Crackett have all this enthusiasm. People are loving this team. We want to keep it that way, obviously. And second of all, you know, it's always easy to say that people are always going to love this team. But the fact of the matter is this season's been a little bit rough in terms of the quality of play we've got on the ice. We could get into that as much as we possibly can today, of course. But the record that we've got right now is not a shining example of what Seattle can do. I think they can do a lot better. I think we're going to see this team really take off later on in the season. So I think right now kind of might be the midpoint in terms of what they're going to be able to achieve. If they can win this game somehow, I think that kind of gives them a boost going into the second half of the season. So let's see if they can actually succeed in doing that. Now, they're going to be taking on an arch rival team called the Las Vegas Golden Knights. I'm sure you've heard of those guys. They won the Stanley Cup last year. And it's not going to be easy. I mean, this is going to be one of the toughest games we've played all year. And, you know, Las Vegas is not an easy team to beat. Las Vegas has not been great as of late. I will say that. That might give us a little bit of hope and, you know, confidence in getting this game out of our way. But I think it's going to be a very tricky game to say the least. And I really do think this game is important, though, in a lot of ways. Because, number one, we want to have this enthusiasm in Seattle. Number two, we want to win this game, give ourselves some confidence that we can finish off the season strong, get back into the playoffs, hopefully have another good run like we had last year. We can see if we actually end up doing that. But I think it's possible. I definitely think it's possible. And lastly, I think this really needs to be done to showcase the city of Seattle to the NHL. Much like any all-star game or any big game that comes to a city like Seattle, or any city in the USA for that matter, you want to show off the city a little bit. And what better way to do that than have the roof open at T-Mobile Park on a nice day like that? Again, it would be better if we had a little bit of snow in the forecast or something along those lines. But to say the least, it's going to be nice to be able to have that roof open, show off how nice the skyline looks from the stadium, and hopefully have a decent day just to kind of show off what Seattle is all about. So I guess you could say my fear with this right now is that we're going to get to game day only a couple days away at this point. And we're going to have the roof closed. It's going to feel like an indoor game just in the middle of a baseball park. And we really don't want to do that. Because even when it comes to the cameras at these winter classic games, it's not even that fun to watch on TV in some cases because you really can't see everything. And I think what really takes away from this whole experience is the fact that Seattle is just not really a cold enough city to be playing this game outside in a true and organic fashion. You know, a place like New York, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Minnesota, of course, and Minneapolis, those places are fantastic for outdoor games. Detroit, another example of a great place to play outside where you've got that kind of wonderful experience of the snowfall in the wintertime. Unfortunately, not the case here in Seattle. We can't manufacture that. We just have to kind of use the experience of the game and the fact that T-Mobile Park is a world-class baseball stadium to kind of drive this experience for the fans besides the product on the ice. And I think the hottest take I'll have all day on this topic is the fact that I really don't think it's worth it to pay a super, super high price to go to this game. And I'm glad people are doing it. That's fantastic. That keeps interest in the game. That shows the NHL that Seattle fans are indeed loving this team. Don't take them away. Don't put them somewhere else. We want to keep this team in Seattle. But I really don't think it's worth it to go to a game like this if you really want to just appreciate the game being played because you're not going to be able to see everything going on on the ice. That's just a fact of the matter. You're not going to be able to see all the hits, all the tricky moves that happen on the ice. You're going to be watching with binoculars, and you're going to be missing a lot of the game. That's just part of the experience of going. But second of all, I really do think that when you go to a game like this, you probably are putting the game second. You're probably thinking about the experience of just being there, the fact that you're seeing hockey outside as being the main drive for why you're there in the first place. And I would hope that is the case because I believe that most people in Seattle really do want to support this. They probably do agree it's going to be not the best day out there to be watching the game. There are not going to be any snowflakes coming down. But they're out there for the love of the game. They're out there to support their team, and I think that's fantastic in this case. Unfortunately, we're not like Buffalo Bills fans. We don't go show up at the game and put on our rain slicker and sit out there. Even if there's snow pouring down on us, we have a parka on, a slicker over the top of that, trying to make sure we don't get drenched in snow. I think that would be a bit more interesting, to say the least. I think it would be a bit more fun if we had a nice wintery season in Seattle to kind of put this on display for everybody. But in this case, it is not going to happen. We're just going to have to make do with what we've got. And I really don't think that the NHL really intends to do anything with the crack anytime soon. I think that they're extremely happy with how this experiment is turning out in Seattle. I don't even want to call it an experiment because I think we've deserved hockey since day one. Of course, we had a team way back when that won the Stanley Cup, and I do believe we will win a Stanley Cup again. I guess my internal fear as a hockey fan is that someday the NHL might decide, hey, you know, we kind of want to move this team somewhere else that might be an even better spot. But, no, I think that the best possible place they could be is in Seattle because where are you going to get a bigger market with more hockey fans already built in, ready to go? You really can't get that anywhere else. And that's why I think Seattle is the A number one choice for the NHL to keep this team here for the long haul. So let's keep supporting them as we go forward. I really do believe this is going to be an interesting game, to say the least. My prediction for the actual outcome of this game, I do think that Seattle will drop this game to Las Vegas. But I do want to see this one go to an overtime, which might be an interesting experience, to say the least. A lot of these games that do go to overtime are fun, but it's even more fun when it's done outside, of course. So let's see if we can make that happen in Seattle. And I also want to comment on the fact that Las Vegas has really started to cool off as of late, too. So this team started off really, really red hot in the season. You know, you thought they were going to run away with it, be at the top of the league all season long. And my other favorite team, the Vancouver Canucks, actually just passed them in the standings. As of right now, Vancouver is number one. Vegas is number two in the list of the NHL rankings. So I think it just goes to show that this team is indeed beatable. And right now they're going through a bit of turmoil trying to figure out, you know, their identity. You know, who is that de facto leader who's going to be leading this team as they go forward. And right now they're looking for some answers to that question. So as long as they continue to have a little bit of struggle like that, I think we do pose a decent threat to this team. And I think it would build a lot of confidence if we could get through that match. One of the better games I watched this season, though, and I actually saw this one in person a couple of weeks ago. I went to Vancouver. I saw the Kraken play the Canucks. And the Kraken won that game. It was a fantastic match between those two teams. Vancouver is a great team, do not get me wrong. I was super excited to see that team play as well. But the Kraken looked really, really good in that game. And let me just say I thought they really did stand a chance if they were to meet this team in the playoffs. And I really do think that a Kraken versus Canucks matchup in the NHL playoffs would be a huge boon for Seattle and Vancouver alike. These fans get wild. It is so much fun to watch these two teams get together and play. And you can tell they're already arch rivals. So this is going to be a lot of fun if we see this happen in the upcoming NHL playoff season. And sadly enough, I don't think we're going to be seeing a matchup between the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. That was so much fun the past couple of years or so, watching those two teams duke it out together during the NHL playoffs. But sadly, that is not going to be happening with this level of play we've been seeing from those guys. So don't expect that anytime soon. Or for that matter, a matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens. But nonetheless, a lot of new teams kind of getting in the mix as of right now. You saw the Arizona Coyotes are actually holding on to a playoff spot right now. That team has been garbage for quite some time. And I've been okay with that. I mean, I am not an Arizona Coyotes fan by any stretch of the imagination. I really do think it's time for that team to consider relocation somewhere else. As we know, they're playing down there in the Mullet Arena in Arizona. Which, when you really think about it, that's kind of an embarrassing venue for an NHL team to be playing in. I mean, you would think that Gary Bettman and the NHL would want to do something with that. But no, the NHL and Gary Bettman, the commissioner, are happy just leaving that team where they are, just to kind of suffer and sulk down there in Arizona. With no real plan about what's actually going to happen with that team. So, we will see. But I do want to tie this back to the NHL Winter Classic. So, this year, like last year, it's not being played in a place that's very cold. Last year was in Texas. This year is in Seattle, where we've got temperatures well over freezing. We're playing the Las Vegas Golden Knights, a team from the desert. So, really, how long is it going to be until we start seeing a team play in a Winter Classic where it is in the desert? When is it going to be like a Las Vegas matchup versus Phoenix or something like that? I can't imagine how well that would go over. I don't think it would even work at all, based on the fact that it's too warm to be doing it. But you just have to wonder about how the NHL wants to approach this. Do they want to treat the Winter Classic as a way to showcase the game? Is that being done right now in Seattle? Are we a showcase? Is this supposed to be some sort of way of deciding if this will work in other climates that are not? Chicago, you're Detroit, you're New York, places like that where it is cold all the time. And from a business standpoint of growing the game, that's fantastic. But just from a perspective of somebody who appreciates the game, who loves the game, I just don't think it makes that much sense. I would rather watch an NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day where it's cold, it's snowy. Maybe you're in Buffalo. Maybe you're in Chicago. Somewhere like that where you actually get the experience of the players being cold and actually enjoying their day outside. Whereas this leaves you feeling a little bit flat, if I do say so myself. And the only other reason I bring this up is because the NHL in Canada does have the Heritage Classic, which is an outdoor game that's played. And they've played this game before in Vancouver at BC Place, which is an indoor-outdoor stadium. And I would say that was one of the biggest flops that the NHL had in terms of trying to showcase a game on TV. Just because they were inside, it was raining, and they had the roof over the stadium, so it didn't really feel like an outside game. It felt more like an ice rink set up in the middle of a building, in the middle of a football field, which doesn't really make any sense from a fan standpoint of watching this on TV. And I would go as far as to say the fans watching this probably didn't enjoy themselves as much as they would have somewhere like Toronto watching this, where it's cold outside and snowing. It just doesn't really give the vibe of being an outdoor, enjoyable game to people who actually want to enjoy this experience of being there and appreciating the outdoor aspect of the game. So there you go, the NHL Winter Classic coming up this weekend on Monday, which is New Year's Day. I predict a score outcome of 5 to 4 in favor of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. I think it's going to be a very, very amusing game to watch, though, to say the least. I hope that whoever's carrying this game on TV, I would assume it's ESPN, will get the camera angles just right, though. So if you're watching this on TV, you do feel like you're actually watching this game at an arena, so you don't feel like the camera's too far away, which doesn't really give you a very good perspective of the game. And I do hope for the folks who are there at T-Mobile Park that you enjoy your day out there and that you get to see some of the action as well, because this could be a lot of fun if done right. I'm not sure this is the perfect year to be doing it, though, in an El Nino year, but we are going to see what happens. I do hope the NHL brings this back to Seattle during a colder year, where you might actually see some of those snowflakes on the ground when you're watching the game. That would be a lot more fun, if you ask me. So I want to stick with the topic of hockey here for one more moment here on the weekend show and talk about the World Junior Championships going on right now in Sweden for younger players who want to get into the NHL in the future. And this has been a lot of fun to watch on TV. It's not carried on TV in the States, unfortunately, so I've been watching it in Canada on TSN. And I just have to say that this has been one of the more controversial years I've seen this, just because the officiating has brought some questions up about how legitimate some of these games are, if there's favoritism at play. And there was a bit of a controversy earlier this week involving the USA in a game they were playing against the Czechs. And the game went to a shootout, and basically they had to flip a coin to see what team would go first. So a Swedish official flips the coin. The coin falls on the ice, but it hits the skate of the Swedish referee. And one of the U.S. players who was involved with this coin toss was saying, I don't think that's a fair coin toss. I think we better do that again, because I don't think that's supposed to happen. I think it's supposed to be a clean catch or a fall on the ground to kind of see what the result of the coin toss was. I really don't think this is worth getting upset over, though, because in the end, we did win that game. And the fact of the matter remains, I mean, the coin toss probably was not affected by the coin hitting a skate. I still think that's fair, to say the least. A lot of people watching this do feel like there's a problem with this, though. They felt like this should have been redone, just to ensure that it's completely fair for all the people involved with the coin toss. To me, it really doesn't matter. But every team has been complaining a bit about some of what's been going on. And despite this being a non-issue, other commentary has surfaced about whether or not some of these games are truly fair. There were some Canadian fans at one of the games, and they felt that their team wasn't being treated fairly by the officials. And I think what this really boils down to is anybody watching any sporting event is always going to find something wrong with the officiating, regardless of what you might think in terms of what's fair. I will just say right now, I really haven't seen anything in these games to confirm that any of these officials have been trying to fix the game for any certain team or trying to have any certain outcome take place. Like with any sport, I think that sometimes the officials get it wrong. Don't get me wrong. That happens all the time. And that's just part of human error. I mean, that's just part of sports in general. Sports are officiated by real people who do have eyes. Sometimes they see things. Sometimes they don't. I do think they try to make it fair as possible. I think that in a lot of cases, the NHL tries to go above and beyond to make this fair. There's many cases where something doesn't get called, and the officials go out of their way to try to call something in favor of that team later on, just to make sure they have a fair shot at winning the game, just in case they didn't feel like they had a fair shot. And I think in a tournament like this, you've got to reserve your frustration, especially if you win the game in the end anyway. It shouldn't matter in that case. You should just be happy the outcome worked out, that your team is still in it, and not worry about little things that don't actually matter in the grand scheme of things. And from my own personal perspective creeping into this one, I really do think that a lot of this is caused by the fact that these teams are playing in Sweden right now. So most of the fans in that arena are Swedish. They're watching the games being played. They're probably on the Swedish side, and they're supporting some of these more European teams. So North American teams like the USA or Canada probably are not going to have a lot of fans there watching their teams play. So it might feel a little bit unfair. And the only thing you can do in this case is go out there on the ice. If you're the players playing the game, do your best to silence those fans and just put up a big victory. Walk off the ice with pride and call it a day, because that's the best you're going to be able to do. You're not going to fill up an arena with all your fans anyway, so that's the best you're going to be able to get out of it. You're just going to have to go and get the job done and put on a show for people watching back home on TV. That's the best you can do. So we are right up against the clock here on the weekend show, and that does mean we have to take a quick break. But before we do that, I have to share this video with you real fast. Now, this is from the World Junior Championships in Sweden once again. And in this case, it's Germany's historic win over Finland, which has never happened before in the World Junior Championships. And what happens here, you've got a player inside the penalty box. Obviously, he can't come out until the game is over. And he's watching the time tick down on the clock, so the game is almost over. Germany's about to win. Everybody's getting really pumped up and excited. And as the game time expires, the door opens. He high-fives the official inside the box, saying, oh my gosh, I can't believe that happened. It's so much fun to watch this. Here's the call from the broadcast. In the box at the game end, he was more into it than the players on the ice. And he gets a high-five from the bench attendant in the penalty box. That is awesome. The emotion from that. Oh my gosh, you love to see it. I think that adds a bit more zest and some spice to the NHL. So, hopefully, we see some of these guys come up and start doing stuff like that in the NHL. I would love to see that. So, Gary Bettman, if you're listening, do not cancel it. I want to see that on TV. Let's make that happen, all right? We have to take a quick break here on the show. When we come back, we're going to discuss Gino Smith, Drew Locke, and Brock Purdy. And, of course, the NFL coming up here on the Weekend Show. Be warned. We'll be right back.