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Its all about location with these Winter Classics since if the game is held in Canada, then a Montreal vs Toronto would make the most sense in terms of support and hype as was the case with the pre-Classics outdoor games.
Since NHL needs to rebound in popularity in the US especially with the non-hockey hotbeds, it makes more sense to market the Classic between US rivalries or "superstars" to generate the mega-hype.
No need to worry about Canada or hockey hotbeds since they will watch the game but the NHL needs the rest of the US to care about the game as a way to boost NHL's appeal.
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