Classic mistake: Starting NHL outdoor game early is bad on bright winter's day

Ray Slover

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Classic mistake: Starting NHL outdoor game early is bad on bright winter's day image

Hockey is not a game for the blind. That's why the 2015 Winter Classic likely will not start as scheduled.

The only thing worse than rain for outdoor hockey is bright midday sun. That's what fans are seeing in Washington, D.C., where the Chicago Blackhawks will face the Washington Capitals.


Winter Classic scene: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Outdoors in Nationals Park, everything is ready for the NHL's annual showpiece. Spectators are filling the venue and its side attractions, the teams are preparing and NBC is firing up the cameras and commentators.

But the scheduled faceoff sometime after 1 p.m. ET likely will be delayed. (FYI: The 1 p.m. start time is for TV coverage.)

Why? Glare. Players can't see the puck on the ice on a bright midday, as teams saw in practice. Visors and eye black didn't help. The Caps' Karl Alzner is among players who tried on sunglasses and might wear them for the game.

That's fine for shinny or piddling around, but it doesn't make the grade for an NHL game.

So until shade from the grandstand covers the rink, centered behind second base in the ballpark, an NHL game ballyhooed all season between two teams with big-name talent could be contested with players unable to see the puck when it is played along the sun side of the rink.

"Nobody wants to delay the game," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told media members. "So if there's any way we can avoid delaying the game, we're going to avoid delaying the game."

"It would be more of a player-safety issue," Daly said. "The glare, if you're having trouble picking up the puck, I think there'd be a concern."

By the way, the rink layout also puts the goal on the right-field side in shade first. Playing goal on the left-field will be a huge problem in the first two periods. Both goalies must face this challenge.

The NHL already dodged a bullet in this game, being staged farther south than any previous Winter Classic. It appears the temperature won't be too high for good ice conditions (but wouldn't a fog game be interesting?), because slop and wet spots are ruinous.

But the league will have to delay the game's start if players can't see the puck because of glare off the ice. It won't be too long, although it might take 90 minutes for shade to cover the rink.

"Once you got on the ice and were skating around, it took about five or 10 minutes for guys to adjust, and it wasn't easy to see pucks on the ice," Capitals defenseman Mike Green said Wednesday. "It should be tough on the goalies if that's the case."

Too bad. The NHL needs all the positive publicity it can get as its Winter Classic is staged against a backdrop of college football games.

Ray Slover