Did the NHL’s Winter Classic boost it’s profile with the U.S. sports-viewing market? That’s debatable. While the 2.6 rating NBC pulled for the “Snow Show” in Buffalo was a pleasant surprise- in fact it was a 12-year high for a sport that has long resided in T.V.’s outback in the U.S.- it was perhaps, more than anything, seen as a spectacle or curiosity by the casual American viewer. Certainly not enough of an attraction to get people fully on the band-wagon. But maybe enough to persuade them to watch the occasional indoor ice-rink game.
Personally I could use an outdoor classic once a year as opposed to every other year- and forget about staging the games in Canada, which has a long and venerable tradition of outdoor hockey- let’s keep the spectacle going in the U.S., which needs to be exposed more to the greatest game in sports. That being said, here are our picks for the best venues, with seating capacity, for staging the next outdoor classic:

1. Yankee Stadium, New York (57,545)
2. Fenway Park, Boston (39,195)
3. Wrigley Field, Chicago (41,118)
4. Comerica Park, Detroit (41,070)
5. Coors Field, Denver (50,445)
6. Texas Stadium, Irving, TX (65,812)
7. Heinz Field, Pittsburgh (65,050)
8. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, (56,000)
9. Lincoln Field, Philadelphia (68,532)
10. an outdoor stadium somewhere in Europe- perhaps Sweden.