Take the Winter Classic back to hockey's roots

Tony Benotti, Plymouth, Ma.

What is the infatuation with having the Winter Classic in a baseball or football stadium?

Shouldn’t the Winter Classic represent what the name itself implies, an outdoor game in a winter setting?

This game should represent the roots of hockey, the types of winter towns where the NHL's great athletes come from, places like Parry Sound, Ont., or Lake Placid, N.Y.

The KHL holds their All-Star Game in Moscow's Red Square on a rink surrounded by only a couple thousand seats; this is what the NHL needs to consider.

How many people in Fenway Park will actually be able to see what’s going on?

Move this game to a place like Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H., set up a rink with about 2,000-3,000 thousand seats with a background view of the White Mountains and make it more of a TV event focusing on the roots and heritage of hockey, similar to CBC's Hockey Day In Canada.

It makes more sense than an old baseball park in the middle of a crowded city.