We already mentioned that rain was threatening the viability of a Winter Classic game happening at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Now, we don’t need to worry about that: the 2011 Winter Classic will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Heinz Field.
Winter Classic 2011: Weather Postpones Penguins-Capitals, Possibly To 8 P.M. Saturday
After the the Washington Post’s Katie Carrera cited a source saying the NHL could push back the game, NBC4’s Lindsay Czarniak tweeted that “buzz” has the Winter Classic dropping the puck at 8 p.m.
That would be a first for the NHL, and might be a great one. Moving its premier regular season matchup to primetime on New Year’s Day will likely create an even better TV showcase for the event, which has been a pleasant surprise for the NHL in the HD era. And, unintentionally, the NHL is getting a better landscape for the Winter Classic, which would only compete with the Fiesta Bowl — featuring the BCS’ biggest mismatch this year in the form of Connecticut taking on Oklahoma — for sports viewers on Saturday night.
Nothing’s certain just yet, but we’ll have confirmation of the move when it happens.
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