Definitely a good idea and something that will gain some laughs if it ever becomes mainstream enough. But, it is worth noting that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is just doing what the Owners want him to do and it is not entirely his fault.
That being said, it was reported earlier Tuesday that the Winter Festival that was set to take place at Comerica Park is going to be cancelled along with the Winter Classic. The Winter Festival was going to include some Junior Hockey games, the Great Lakes Invitational college hockey tournament which includes Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Western Michigan, and also the alumni hockey games involving Red Wings and Maple Leafs alumni.
Here is the official schedule of what will be cancelled:
GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL
Dec. 27 – 3:30 pm
Game 1 – Michigan State vs. Western Michigan
Game 2 – Michigan vs. Michigan Tech
Dec. 28 – 3:30 pm
Game 3 – Consolation Game
Game 4 – Championship Game .
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE DOUBLEHEADER
Dec. 29 – 1:00 pm
Game 5 – Windsor Spitfires vs. Saginaw Spirit
Game 6 – Plymouth Whalers vs. London Knights .
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Dec. 30 – 7:00 pm
Game 7 – Grand Rapids Griffins vs. Toronto Marlies .
2012 MAPLE LEAFS vs. RED WINGS ALUMNI SHOWDOWN™
Dec. 31 – TBD
Game 8 – Maple Leafs Alumni vs. Red Wings Alumni (Game 1)
Game 9 – Maple Leafs Alumni vs. Red Wings Alumni (Game 2)
It’s a shame that everything is falling a part regarding the Winter Classic because of the lockout, and it is supposed to be officially cancelled on Thursday. We will just have to wait and see what exactly will happen, but there is little reason to be optimistic it will be anything good.
H/T: Puck Daddy Blog