Let it snow.

• Author: Barrett, Wayne M.
• Position: ATHLETIC ARENA

IT STARTED AS a smattering of applause late in the second period: then grew louder until a full-throated roar rose into the early night sky. It was snowing at the Winter Classic--this, of course, was a good thing. Tree, it wasn't the near-blizzard that graced the inaugural Classic in Buffalo a few years earlier; nevertheless, the 46,967 patrons at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park wanted to show the Hockey Gods their appreciation for bestowing such a blessing. It was just one of many that day, including the gusty cold winds as well as the final score: New York Rangers 3, Philadelphia Flyers, 2.

That the NHL would be so presumptuous as to brand a regular-season game a "classic"--even an outdoor one, as not prevented this annual happening from being just that. Each of five Classics have provided splendid games at unique outdoor cathedrals (including Chicago's Wrigley Field and Boston's Fenway Park), all in an effort (a highly successful one at that) to harken back to the sport's (and players') early days.

Once upon a time, the Stanley Cup--the oldest professional team trophy in North America--was fought over on outdoor finks with no hoards (aka, pond hockey), some teams even arriving for the big event by dogsled. Likewise. even in today's modern world of hi-tech ice-making ability, $200 composite sticks, and multimillion-dollar contracts, most players--be they from Canada, the U.S., Europe, or Russia--started out on outdoor rinks.

That this is a nearly impossible ticket to get despite the sky-high prices and expanded seating capacity is a testament to hockey's rabid fan base. Sure, TV money plays a role in all professional athletic endeavors, but of the Big Four--football, baseball, and basketball being the others--hockey most depends on its fans attending games "live" and not cozying up to the living room wide-screen. Heck, even the Alumni Game--presumably the National Hockey League's politically correct way of saying Old-Timers Game held two days prior was a sell-out.

Traditionally, if a five-year-old event can invoke such a phrase, this Classic contest is held at 1 p.m. on New Year's Day. NBC executives, however, sensing even more of a ratings debacle than usual, bumped the Battle of Broadway versus Broad Street to Jan. 2, lest it go head-to-head with Sunday's menu of NFL regular-season (and playoff-deciding) finales.

(Quick story as to how poorly hockey does on TV: ESPN gave up its NHL broadcast rights following the 2004-05 lockout...