Connor Bedard humiliates Gary Bettman after Winter Classic disaster
The 2024 Winter Classic was one to forget for the NHL as it raked in a record-low viewership and was blown out by the Chicago Blackhawks' first game which was Connor Bedard's NHL debut.
The NHL started 2024 off on a rough note as the Winter Classic between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken was the least viewed Winter Classic to date. This is mainly due to a lack of marketing combined with the relatively small fanbases of Seattle and Vegas, the two newest NHL franchises.
For the first time ever, the event will not finish as the most-watched game of the NHL season.
With the Winter Classic getting only 1.11 million viewers, the league will have this as the first time that a Winter Classic is not the most viewed regular season game. The game between the Kraken and Golden Knights was beaten by one of the very first games of the season; Connor Bedard's NHL debut.
In Bedard's first game, the Blackhawks faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby which over 1.4 million hockey fans tuned in for.
It's the most-watched regular season NHL game ever on cable, excluding the Winter Classic.
Gary Bettman And the NHL Favor Connor Bedard for next year's winter classic
Seeing the success of Bedard's debut game combined with the historical success of the Winter Classic, it appears that Bettman is favoriting the Blackhawks as the next host of the Winter Classic.
The Blackhawks have played in a staggering five outdoor games facing off against the Red Wings, Penguins, Capitals, Wild, and Blues. They will certainly get an outdoor game with Bedard at the helm and now it only seems like a question of when.
As seen on House of Hockey - Bedard Embarrasses Commissioner Gary Bettman And The NHL
| POLL | ||
Do you believe the NHL favors Connor Bedard and superstar players? | ||
| Yes | 193 | 23.4 % |
| No | 631 | 76.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
