Sens to play Habs at Olympic Stadium in November?

...from Michael Farber at Sports Illustrated:

Canadiens plan indoor/outdoor game for November
Michael Farber, SI.com/June 25, 2009

MONTREAL -- Because the Montreal Canadiens apparently haven't thanked fans profusely enough for their centennial season -- four games and out in the 2009 playoffs was barely what an earlier generation would have called a bread-and-butter note -- the 100th birthday party apparently will continue with an "indoor/outdoor" game in late November at Olympic Stadium.

The stadium game at the problematic Big O should be announced within the next two weeks once an opponent and scheduling issues are addressed.

If you were going to bet on an opponent, try the Ottawa Senators.

At the competition committee meeting ON Thursday in Montreal prior to this weekend's entry draft, the NHL pulled the proposed Winter Classic doubleheader game on New Year's Day in Calgary off the table --- NBC had expressed concern that it would diminish the impact of the Boston-Philadelphia match in Fenway Park -- and instead subbed in a match close to the date the Canadiens played the first game in franchise history: Dec. 4.

Montreal GM Bob Gainey, a member of the committee, positioned the stadium game as a celebration for fans rather than a cash grab, which would mean reasonably-priced tickets in a venue that, other than the occasional football game, soccer match and some trade shows, has been fallow since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C.

While the fan-friendly sentiment is surely noble for a team that picked every wallet clean during a 2008-09 season that fell far short of giddy expectations, there is little doubt that it will be a boon to the bottom line. The Bell Centre seats 21,273.

Olympic Stadium held close to 60,000 for baseball. With seating on the field, the Canadiens could basically triple their usual attendance.

The NHL is also looking for a way to take more advantage of the anticipated bump in hockey interest coming off the Olympics in Vancouver next February. While yet another outdoor game was discussed -- yawn -- it is more likely the Pittsburgh Penguins (read Sidney Crosby) and Washington Capitals (read Alexander Ovechkin) will play on Saturday, six days after the gold-medal game, in a match that will be embroidered with some sort of folderol, perhaps a concert.

Talk about overkill. To me, it cheapens the experience if we have too many outdoor games. Each becomes less special I think.

Zoolander wrote:Talk about overkill. To me, it cheapens the experience if we have too many outdoor games. Each becomes less special I think.

So does this mean you won't go see your Sens play if this game happens?

Zoolander wrote:Talk about overkill. To me, it cheapens the experience if we have too many outdoor games. Each becomes less special I think.

Yeah but it's pretty fun in the big o ... i was there last year at the allouettes grey cup semi, the crowd loved it. They were doing double and triples waves lol. If you grew up watching the expos in there, you'd love it ....

Sens would be the perfect team to play in there with them too! Eh 60,000 plus seats, and all the seating on the floor over that ...

Should really do something more along the lines of once every four years. It really doesn't seem to mean much anymore.

HowieMorenz wrote:Sens would be the perfect team to play in there with them too! Eh 60,000 plus seats, and all the seating on the floor over that ...

Le Stade Olympique would be ROCKIN. What a party that would be, no matter who you cheer for.

:##: :%%:

that would be one rocking game I tell you, would love to be there.

Zoolander wrote:Talk about overkill. To me, it cheapens the experience if we have too many outdoor games. Each becomes less special I think.

It may not mean all that much to the fan watching it on TV, but I bet that would be just an incredible experience if you were there.

HowieMorenz wrote:

Zoolander wrote:Talk about overkill. To me, it cheapens the experience if we have too many outdoor games. Each becomes less special I think.

Yeah but it's pretty fun in the big o ... i was there last year at the allouettes grey cup semi, the crowd loved it. They were doing double and triples waves lol. If you grew up watching the expos in there, you'd love it ....

I did. I love the Expos, but I did not love the Big-O. Mind you, I was always in the bleachers, still remember paying $1 to get in. Maybe it was better from somewhere closer, but every one said it was a bad stadium for baseball.

Anyway, on topic. This may be a bad year for the Habs to do anything extravagant. They are not going to win a lot of games, and when you swap out half of your team you need to do something a little more intimate than this. Just a feeling I have, that this is not what the organization needs to do.

Ideally, I would want it to be Ottawa. For some reason I'm thinking it will be Toronto.

The opponent will determine if I get my ticket, of course.

Last time I was at the Big O was to watch Portugal lose to Gambia in the U-20 World Cup. It was fun.

Anyone have any ducats to see Ronaldo and Kaka in Hogtown?

I wonder if they're heading for a pattern that sees two "outdoor" games a year - with US teams playing each other and Canadian teams playing each other.

shabbs wrote:I wonder if they're heading for a pattern that sees two "outdoor" games a year - with US teams playing each other and Canadian teams playing each other.

If it IS the Habs and Sens, IMHO it would be VERY cool to have them play wearing the retro uniforms.

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:I wonder if they're heading for a pattern that sees two "outdoor" games a year - with US teams playing each other and Canadian teams playing each other.

If it IS the Habs and Sens, IMHO it would be VERY cool to have them play wearing the retro uniforms.

I could just see Yuppi riding around the "outfield" track in his ATV again. If they make some snow, he could trade that in for a snowmobile.