Slamdunk

The Winter Classic is one of the top ten sporting events each year. Hockey… outside… snow surrounding the rink, what’s not to like? While the pre-game festivities were about 37 minutes longer than necessary, I enjoyed most of the hoopla. Bringing back legendary players, reliving the rivalry, and the whole growing up playing hockey on a frozen pond thing all contributed to a special atmosphere.

(By the way, the Winter Classic proves that sports should be played outdoors whenever possible, especially in cold weather. Football, playoff baseball, and the Winter Classic enjoy louder, more passionate crowds than basketball, indoor hockey, and summer baseball. Why? Because in most cases it’s absolute freezing outside. You can try this yourself if you’d like. Go outside and set up a chair in your backyard. Now just sit there for three hours. You’re angry and bitter cold within 45 minutes. Now do the same thing but instead of sitting there, bounce around and shout like an idiot. You’ll lose track of time. The only problem here is if your team is losing. Losing subtracts another 20 degrees from the air temperature. Almost like a wind chill, only it’s a losing chill. I digress.)

The Winter Class is the NHL’s super bowl. For at least one day a year (actually part of one day), the NHL takes center stage. (If you were watching college football instead, then I’m sorry. Not sorry for asserting the NHL takes center stage. Sorry you were watching college football.) The Flyers-Bruins game was captivating from start to finish. The play was physical, scoring chances were abundant (yes, more goals wouldn’t have hurt), and we had suspense. Top that off with the steam from players’ breath and snow flurries; and you have yourself hockey heaven. I was giddy.  Read more...