NHL Winter Classic

Who here didn't see any of the Winter Classic? (If anyone raises their hand, it's just shameful.)

Man, I just have to say that game was the most fun I've had watching television in a long, long time. And I swear the thing couldn't have been scripted better with Crosby winning the game in the shootout. The snow and sleet was just such a spectacle that made for great TV. I even forgot how much I hate Bob Costas during the game! That is how great it was. Just an excellent experience. Big ups to the NHL and NBC and the hearty souls of Buffalo who just proved to be about the best fans around by keeping the energy up for the whole game.

New NBC hairdo Mike Milbury said something interesting, too, so now he is beating Brett Hull 1-0 as far as NBC analysts have gone. He said that the "hockey purists" are a pretty cynical bunch but that the entire atmosphere was great for bringing the game back to it's roots. And Costas even tried to make it about him with his between periods story about "the real" Ogie Oglethorpe. Let's just say that Old Man Winter wasn't the only thing blowing around Ralph Wilson Stadium on Tuesday. Not even a power-tripping egomaniacal midget could ruin the day--a Great Day for Hockey, as Badger Bob would say.

The Winter Classic was a Cinderella story--and it's a good lesson for the fans of other sports. Sometimes, it really just can be about the game. Yesterday wasn't about the ratings or the long stretches where the ice was being fixed. The Winter Classic was a celebration of hockey and the people who love it. It was a chance for our beloved sport to
stand up and put on one heck of a show. And I loved it.

To close this out, I just want to mention the WWE angle that they're doing with Ric Flair. If anyone missed it, Vince McMahon told Flair that the next time he loses a match, that Flair has to retire. Look--no one is a bigger Flair fan that I am but at almost 59, maybe it is time to get out of the ring.

This past Monday, in a match with Triple H, Ric Flair's career was saved by Mr. McMahon's house elf, William Regal, who came down and hit the Nature Boy with brass knux so that HHH would lose by DQ and would therefore, not qualify for the Royal Rumble.

The buildup to the match was great and a lot like the buildup to Starrcade '93 where Ric vowed to retire if he didn't beat Vader for the WCW World Title. The match itself was very old school in psychology and told a good story. In fact, it pains me to say it, but Trips needs to be praised because the man simply can pull off any style he needs to
when he wants to do it.

I'm interested in this angle enough to Tivo RAW and FF through it to see what they are doing with the Nature Boy. It's probably the last thing that Vince can do to grab my attention and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that line of thinking.