Lessons learned from the AHL Outdoor Classic

The Toronto Marlies visited Hamilton Bulldogs at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday.

Attending the AHL Outdoor Classic is like eating a slider for lunch -- it's a nice bite-sized sample of a burger, but it only makes you hungrier for its much larger, juicier, counterpart.  And you know you're getting the real thing for dinner.

A few friends and I convoyed to Hamilton Saturday night to see the game between the Toronto Marlies and Hamilton Bulldogs at Ivor Wynne Stadium. It was an unbelievable experience --  the Marlies routed the Dogs 7-2, I witnessed a couple solid fights, and the crowd belted out 'Sweet Caroline' not once, but twice. When you can hold an ice-cold beer with your bare hands in the middle of January, you know the Hockey Gods are smiling down on you.

But with news that a potential Leafs-Red Wings tilt is in the cards as the next chapter of the NHL Winter Classic, one could only dream of what that one would feel like.

The capacity of Ivor Wynne Stadium is almost 30,000, with over 20,000 taking in the 'Steeltown Showdown' last Saturday. The proposed setting for the Maple Leafs-Red Wings tilt at Michigan Stadium is more than triple that capacity -- 110,000 Leafs and Red Wings fans in the stands would shatter the NHL's attendance record of 71,217, set at the 2008 Winter Classic at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the Sabres played the Penguins.

This game would be the Big Mac of Big Macs. I salivate thinking about it. (The game, not the burger. Okay, the burger too.)

In the event the Leafs-Red Wings end up playing in the Winter Classic next year, I thought I'd share a list of what I learned from Saturday's event to help prepare Leafs Nation, who are clamouring for something special to come their way. And since it doesn't look like Lord Stanley's ready to make an appearance on Yonge Street just yet, let's hope this matchup is confirmed soon.

5. Perfect weather = perfect game

Okay, it's not something any of us can control, but the Marlies-Bulldog game couldn't have had a better backdrop. No smokestacks in sight, only clear blue skies. In the past, weather has been a major factor at the Winter Classic -- think the NHL's version of the 'Snow Bowl' in 2008, or Crosby crouched on the rain-soaked ice last year -- and while the unpredictability of it seems to be a selling point for the league, I'm sure the fans do not want to amputate their limbs after the game.  So while we were lucky to sit in the sun Saturday, we were still wearing at least two layers of clothes, and my feet were still cold in the shade. Don't underestimate sitting outside for three hours -- dress appropriately.

4. Kick it old school

Sure, the Marlies won the game 7-2, but someone clearly dropped the ball here. MLSE is praised around the continent as one of the best sports businesses in North America, but I was appalled to see the regular Marlies jerseys on the players while the Bulldogs donned nice vintage sweaters. Maybe MLSE did the research and realized it wasn't worth making new jerseys for a one-time event for the AHL, but as a fan, seeing these retro sweaters is one of the main attractions to the Winter Classic. Playing outside and wearing old-looking jerseys reminds us of the glory days of hockey, even if my generation can't remember those old black and white TVs. I'm sure the Leafs, being the most profitable organization in the league, and whose jerseys grace arenas all the way down to Anaheim, will have new sleeves up their sleeves should they be the next candidates for The Classic.

3. Stay for the weekend

In an ideal world, days off from work to catch a sporting event would be government approved. Unfortunately, no such universe exists, so my gang was unable to catch the AHL alumni game on Friday. A shame, too, because the likes of Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark suited up for the Blue and White, something I would have loved to see live once in my life. The NHL Winter Classic usually falls on the Jan. 1 holiday, with the alumni game a day or two prior, so if you usually work Dec. 30-31 and plan on attending the Winter Classic, I would book them off as annual days. You never know when the next time you'll see one of your boyhood idols play again.

2. Be prepared to break the bank

I don't just mean on concession stands. My buddy got our AHL Classic tickets for $40, but again, this game is the slider. If you want the real deal, it will cost you handsomely. For one thing, the Leafs would not be the home team. The NHL Winter Classic home teams usually offer their season ticket holders first opportunity to purchase packages, and I'm sure the Red Wings organization would do everything in their power to pack their own house before Leafs fans can make it a quasi-home game. If we pay several hundreds of dollars for regular Leafs game, just imagine how much this one could cost.

1. Everyone wins with turkey legs

A fan enjoys a bite out of his turkey leg.

That's right folks, it would be the perfect treat for an event on New Year's Day. Meat on a stick, it doesn't get any better (unless you're vegetarian... I hear kebobs are good too). And for those missing the festive family fixin's to take in the game live, it would fit well with the holiday theme. At the Bulldogs-Marlies game, the only two things the crowd of Hamiltonians and Torontonians could agree to chant in unison were "Boston Sucks" and "Turkey Legs."