Bridgestone Winter Classic 2012

[89Hen]

Back to the WC. Choice of games are tough to please everyone. There really aren't many venues that make it cool enough on their own, and to casual fans what are good NHL match-ups might not be as recoginzed as big market team names. Some possiblities:

Soldier Field = Blackhawks v Blues (play off the St.Louis/Chicago thing)
Big House = Red Wings v Blue Jackets (Ohio St v Mich)
Mile High = Avs v Sharks
Ralph = Sabres v Maple Leafs

We keep trying to figure out a way they could do another Caps/Pens games on the National Mall. Logistically it seems impossible unless they are willing to cut down some trees.

[Grizalltheway]

I thought Habs/Flames in Calgary was pretty sweet.

[89Hen]

I care about hockey the same way I care about boxing.........only to watch 24/7 on HBO.

Preview for 24/7 Rangers/Flyers was on last night.

Looks like its going to be great. Some genuine dislike from both squads.

Not on YouTube yet. In addition to being to cheap to buy tix for this game, I'm also too cheap to buy HBO.

[danefan]

I care about hockey the same way I care about boxing.........only to watch 24/7 on HBO.

Preview for 24/7 Rangers/Flyers was on last night.

Looks like its going to be great. Some genuine dislike from both squads.

Not on YouTube yet. In addition to being to cheap to buy tix for this game, I'm also too cheap to buy HBO.

I think you can actually watch the preview and the full first episode on HBO.com even without a subscription

http://www.hbo.com/#/sports/24-7-flyers ... assic.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Give it some time to load when you click on the video though. Takes a while.

[93henfan]

May we all break scrapple again this fall in the Gold Lot.

This is probably an appropriate place to mention that my ex-wife just started working in A/R for Rapa Scrapple this week.

[bluehenbillk]

May we all break scrapple again this fall in the Gold Lot.

This is probably an appropriate place to mention that my ex-wife just started working in A/R for Rapa Scrapple this week.

Knowing your feelings for your ex- I'd suggest the next time she shows up at your place to pick up the kids have a couple pounds of Habbersett laying on the kitchen island.

[bluehenbillk]

One of two I'd like to see if the NHL could pull off:

LA Kings & Anaheim @ Manhattan Beach

Tampa Bay vs Florida @ South Beach

[89Hen]

One of two I'd like to see if the NHL could pull off:

LA Kings & Anaheim @ Manhattan Beach

Tampa Bay vs Florida @ South Beach

Can't happen. I play at an outdoor rink and 50 and sunny doesn't even work, let alone 70-80. The NHL is very protective of their players. They won't risk injury on soft ice.

Teams that have no chance of hosting an outdoor game: Kings, Sharks, Ducks, Coyotes, Stars, Panthers, Lightning, Predators, Hurricanes. The Caps are even questionable.

[dbackjon]

One of two I'd like to see if the NHL could pull off:

LA Kings & Anaheim @ Manhattan Beach

Tampa Bay vs Florida @ South Beach

Can't happen. I play at an outdoor rink and 50 and sunny doesn't even work, let alone 70-80. The NHL is very protective of their players. They won't risk injury on soft ice.

Teams that have no chance of hosting an outdoor game: Kings, Sharks, Ducks, Coyotes, Stars, Panthers, Lightning, Predators, Hurricanes. The Caps are even questionable.

Phoenix has TWO retractable roof stadiums that could host it

[89Hen]

Phoenix has TWO retractable roof stadiums that could host it

Could be, but it kinda loses it's appeal when it's not really outside. The first one with Pens @ Sabres with snow falling was awesome.

[Grizalltheway]

One of two I'd like to see if the NHL could pull off:

LA Kings & Anaheim @ Manhattan Beach

Tampa Bay vs Florida @ South Beach

Can't happen. I play at an outdoor rink and 50 and sunny doesn't even work, let alone 70-80. The NHL is very protective of their players. They won't risk injury on soft ice.

Teams that have no chance of hosting an outdoor game: Kings, Sharks, Ducks, Coyotes, Stars, Panthers, Lightning, Predators, Hurricanes. The Caps are even questionable.

Forecast high of 56 with a 20% chance of rain in Philly on Sunday.

[93henfan]

Forecast high of 56 with a 20% chance of rain in Philly on Sunday.

As of now, Accuweather is calling for Hi 41/Low 26, partly cloudy and windy w/ chance of flurries on Monday. Gametime temps should be upper to mid 30s.

[Grizalltheway]

Forecast high of 56 with a 20% chance of rain in Philly on Sunday.

As of now, Accuweather is calling for Hi 41/Low 26, partly cloudy and windy w/ chance of flurries on Monday. Gametime temps should be upper to mid 30s.

Yeah, for some reason I was thinking the game was tomorrow.

[BDKJMU]

Someone help me out here. Not really a hockey fan. I've been to a minor league hockey game in Hartford, where all the fans are reasonably close to the action- great. But the rink here is in the middle of a baseball field, and it looks like the 1st rows are around 50 yards from the rink. The fans are so far from the action. What is the appeal in that?

Just saw 5 min of this alumni game. Why would anyone want to watch a bunch of over the hill guys play a half speed game (many of them not even wearing helmets), sitting so far from the action to boot?

[93henfan]

Someone help me out here. Not really a hockey fan. I've been to a minor league hockey game in Hartford, where all the fans are reasonably close to the action- great. But the rink here is in the middle of a baseball field, and it looks like the 1st rows are around 50 yards from the rink. The fans are so far from the action. What is the appeal in that?

Just saw 5 min of this alumni game. Why would anyone want to watch a bunch of over the hill guys play a half speed game (many of them not even wearing helmets), sitting so far from the action to boot?

It's almost as crazy as those numbnuts who get all geeked up for lower division college football.

[BlueHen86]

I try to be the middle man, hoping to keep the tenuous collection of deadbeats known as "Delaware Fans" together as a cohesive unit. My efforts have failed.

The only people I can get to attend beer/crab functions, even the ones in Delaware, are all non-Delaware grads (except Iola). WTF. These are sad times.

One of these days I'll get down to UD for a game and try to hook up with you. Might not happen until 2013 though. Lots of preseason wrestling in the fall, once my older son is out of HS I will have more time.

[93henfan]

I try to be the middle man, hoping to keep the tenuous collection of deadbeats known as "Delaware Fans" together as a cohesive unit. My efforts have failed.

The only people I can get to attend beer/crab functions, even the ones in Delaware, are all non-Delaware grads (except Iola). WTF. These are sad times.

One of these days I'll get down to UD for a game and try to hook up with you. Might not happen until 2013 though. Lots of preseason wrestling in the fall, once my older son is out of HS I will have more time.

My boys will be playing all kinds of sports by then, so let's get something planned for 2030.

[89Hen]

Someone help me out here. Not really a hockey fan. I've been to a minor league hockey game in Hartford, where all the fans are reasonably close to the action- great. But the rink here is in the middle of a baseball field, and it looks like the 1st rows are around 50 yards from the rink. The fans are so far from the action. What is the appeal in that?

Just saw 5 min of this alumni game. Why would anyone want to watch a bunch of over the hill guys play a half speed game (many of them not even wearing helmets), sitting so far from the action to boot?

I went last year, couldn't see shit, didn't matter. Was one of the most fun sporting events I've been to.

[BDKJMU]

Someone help me out here. Not really a hockey fan. I've been to a minor league hockey game in Hartford, where all the fans are reasonably close to the action- great. But the rink here is in the middle of a baseball field, and it looks like the 1st rows are around 50 yards from the rink. The fans are so far from the action. What is the appeal in that?

Just saw 5 min of this alumni game. Why would anyone want to watch a bunch of over the hill guys play a half speed game (many of them not even wearing helmets), sitting so far from the action to boot?

I went last year, couldn't see ****, didn't matter. Was one of the most fun sporting events I've been to.

I don't get it.

[Grizalltheway]

I went last year, couldn't see ****, didn't matter. Was one of the most fun sporting events I've been to.

I don't get it.

What he meant to say was that he's never had more to drink at a sporting event.

[89Hen]

I don't get it.

What he meant to say was that he's never had more to drink at a sporting event.

That was close to the truth.

We sat in the back of the lower level in the corner and couldn't see the ice surface at all. We could only see the players from the waist up in our end of the rink and could watch the action on the big screen, but we couldn't see the puck. Those down low couldn't see the puck because of the boards, those up high couldn't see the puck because of distance. Hockey doesn't work for viewing in a stadium like that.

That said, it didn't really matter. It was like a sold-out, bowl game atmosphere. Everyone in the town all day was walking around in their team colors, drinking together, cheering and jeering together. At the game it was more of the same. When you normally go to an away game, you might have a smattering of away fans. In Pittsburgh the TV guys said 70,000 fans 30k of which were Caps fans. I think that number is off, I would have said maybe 20k, but there were definitely large patches of red in the sea of yellow and black (and powder blue).

[bluehenbillk]

When you normally go to an away game, you might have a smattering of away fans. In Pittsburgh the TV guys said 70,000 fans 30k of which were Caps fans. I think that number is off, I would have said maybe 20k, but there were definitely large patches of red in the sea of yellow and black (and powder blue).

Well that is the unique part about the Winter Classic - the game is played in one city but both teams that participate can offer tickets to their entire season ticket base so yes the Caps probably had close to 10K there last year I'm sure. The game at CBP this past weekend had tons of Rangers fans & I'm shocked this hasn't made it on here yet but there were some typical Philly-New York postgame brawls.

Check this one out (see the haymaker that lands at around the 34 second mark)

http://www.crossingbroad.com/2012/01/oh ... genos.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That video is a rarity now as YouTube and other sites have taken it down or deleted the landed punches. Supposedly the Rangers fan that got knocked cold is a cop somewhere in New Jersey and the Flyers fan that decked him went bragging about it on Facebook & is currently turning himself in to authorities. Nothing says the Philly-NYC rivalry better than Philly fans knocking the crap out of New York fans. This one goes right up there with the Phillies-Mets one punch knockout at Citi Field.

[89Hen]

Supposedly the Rangers fan that got knocked cold is a cop somewhere in New Jersey and...

was an ex-Marine. Not sure what that says about the state of our armed forces or brothers in blue.

[bluehenbillk]

Supposedly the Rangers fan that got knocked cold is a cop somewhere in New Jersey and...

was an ex-Marine. Not sure what that says about the state of our armed forces or brothers in blue.

I agree, dude looked out of shape & got walloped. He took a right cross to the face & was out before he hit the pavement. Not a good thing when a cop gets in the middle of a postgame fight, should've known better than to go to Geno's wearing that garb & talking smack...

[89Hen]

was an ex-Marine. Not sure what that says about the state of our armed forces or brothers in blue.

I agree, dude looked out of shape & got walloped. He took a right cross to the face & was out before he hit the pavement. Not a good thing when a cop gets in the middle of a postgame fight, should've known better than to go to Geno's wearing that garb & talking smack...

Yup. Got what he deserved.