Maybe the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic should always be played at night.
Ratings for the game between the Penguins and Capitals at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh were the best in the history of the game. A record average of 6.6 million viewers in North America watched either on NBC or CBC. It was the most-viewed NHL regular-season game in 36 years.
The previous record was 5.7 million viewers for the 2009 game at Chicago's Wrigley Field between the Red Wings and Blackhawks.
The game originally was scheduled for 1 p.m. but was postponed until 8 p.m. because of rain.
"By all measures, this will be the most successful NHL Winter Classic yet," NHL COO John Collins told NHL.com. "We are thrilled with the strong viewership and growth on NBC, especially considering the short notice on the time change and the head-to-head hockey competition we ended up facing in eight of our U.S. markets.
"It was a memorable night as we saw once again why the NHL Winter Classic has quickly earned its place as a New Year's Day tradition and one of the most anticipated major national sports events of the year."
No doubt there was a great deal of interest in this year's game because of Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby and Washington star Alex Ovechkin, but some people might have tuned in after watching "24/7" on HBO, which documented the build-up to the game.
"We've joked with the HBO guys that we'll have to invite them back," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma told NHL.com after the game. "We are going to miss them."
The HBO crew followed each team for 12 games. The Penguins went 7-4-1 during that time. Part of Crosby's 25-game points streak was captured by the show.
For the Capitals, coach Bruce Boudreau became the star, not Ovechkin.
The Capitals lost eight straight games while HBO was following them, and Boudreau was shown delivering an expletive-filled speech during an intermission of a game against Florida on Dec. 9.
"Barry Melrose once told me that being on ESPN, it's amazing how much he gets recognized," Boudreau told NHL Live! on Monday. "That's what I keep thinking of because I never thought of this at all, but I guess a lot of people are watching the show."
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