Rumors have been swirling since the start of the Winter Classic a few years ago concerning when Pittsburgh is going to get its chance to host this memorable National Hockey League (NHL) event.  The 2011 Classic was supposed to be held in New York City, but due to scheduling issues, Pittsburgh is now on the top of the list.”I think it would be a great thing to have the Winter Classic here in Pittsburgh,” Andy Olson, a senior sport, arts and entertainment management major, said. “We’ve really evolved into a great hockey town in the last few years, and I’m sure an event like that would draw a nice crowd.”The event was going to be held at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 1, 2011, with the New York Rangers facing the Washington Capitals.  Yankee Stadium is also supposed to host the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, a college football bowl game, on Dec. 30, which does not give workers enough time to set up the ice.   If Pittsburgh were to host the Classic, it would be held in Heinz Field.  The last two Winter Classic games have been played at baseball stadiums – Wrigley Field and Fenway Park – and rumors therefore arose that PNC Park would be the venue. However, due to having less seating than Heinz Field it is an unlikely choice. The first Winter Classic game was played in Buffalo, Pa. at Ralph Wilson Stadium, also a football stadium, and the Penguins took part in it.”I think Heinz Field would better because there would be better views and it’s bigger,” KT Geary, a sophomore intelligence and national security major, said.Heinz Field holds 65,000 people as opposed to PNC Park’s lesser capacity of 38,496 people. Reports indicate that PNC Park was not a serious candidate to host the Winter Classic because of its size, but some fans still argue about the issue.”PNC Park [should be chosen] because it is the best ballpark in America,” Gabe Johnson, a junior sport, arts and entertainment management major, said.  “The NFL [National Football League] playoffs will be starting up around then, and the field quality is already an issue. Heinz Field is horrible.”Many also feel PNC Park would be a better site due to its view of Downtown in the backdrop of the game, which would add to the atmosphere of an already memorable game.”As beautiful as PNC is, Heinz Field can hold almost double the amount of people, and the overall shape of a football field is better for a hockey game than a baseball field, in the sense that the crowd will have better views,” Olson said.For the last decade, Pittsburgh has hosted many major events such as the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star game, which created revenue for the city and drew much needed national attention to Pittsburgh. The most recent event in Pittsburgh was the G-20 Summit, held last September. It was a global event that many argue the city handled well.”Pittsburgh can handle anything,” Geary said. “The G-20 was a lot crazier than this game will be.”If everything goes according to plan, the Penguins will play their rivals, the Washington Capitals, to ring in the New Year at Heinz Field, since the Capitals were already scheduled to play.”Washington would be great, of course, because of the Ovechkin [and] Crosby rivalry,” Johnson said.”The Capitals would be best for viewership, I suppose,” Olson said. “But personally I would like to see them play the Flyers, as they are a huge rival.”Since the Penguins played in the Winter Classic two years ago, they would probably have to wear another vintage jersey, because they already brought back the fan-favorite powder-blue jerseys.”The all-gold jerseys would be pretty sweet to see, but not the blue ones again,” Geary said.”I would like to see the jerseys from the mid-90s again,” Johnson said.No matter what jerseys the Penguins may be wearing, they could be playing in front of 65,000 people at Heinz Field on New Year’s Day next year, so fans should mark their calendars.