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Posts Tagged ‘Winter Classic’

The Winter Classic took place a couple weeks ago, but the NHL’s showcase event this season was something to remember. I would say the Toronto-Detroit game ranks up there with the first Winter Classic with Pittsburgh-Buffalo. The atmosphere was perfect; the snowflakes falling from the skies provided a great setting.

Nobody sums up the majesty of the Winter Classic better than HBO’s “24/7,” which concluded its season with two good episodes. Read the rest of this entry »

For the first time in my life I upgraded my satellite TV service. I did this because I wanted to watch one show, for one month.

Last year there was no “24/7 Red Wings/Maple Leafs: Road to the NHL Winter Classic” because of the lockout. The series featuring the Detroit Red Wings and Maple Leafs (and the game, the Winter Classic) got pushed back to this season.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, this was a wise investment — and the most interesting pairing of the three-year-old series.
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As a major college hockey fan, I’ve seen some pretty impressive rivalries – North Dakota-Minnesota and Denver-Colorado College – up close. The one rivalry people can’t stop talking about is the Beanpot rivalry in Boston.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Beanpot is a unique tournament held on consecutive Monday nights every February between the four college teams in Boston: Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern.

The winning team not only gets bragging rights over its rivals, it hoists the coveted Beanpot trophy in front of a sold-out crowd. BU and BC typically dominate, having won 46 of the 60 tournaments (BU, 29; BC, 17). Harvard has won the Beanpot 10 times, most recently in 1993, while perennial underdog Northeastern has won four – none since 1988.

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One of the National Hockey League’s worst-kept secrets is the teams and location for the next Winter Classic (A faceoff between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor). However, no set plans have been reported for the 2014 showdown and beyond.

Therefore, I decided to put together a list of potential games I would like to see that make the most sense for the league, both in terms of local interest and television revenue.

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All good things must come to an end and unfortunately, that statement applies to every season of HBO’s “24/7: Road to the Winter Classic.” Just like last year, the series ends with a great hockey game and leaves you actually looking forward to the end of the season – so you can tune in to the next Winter Classic.

The final episode begins with some foreshadowing. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s nothing like a good rivalry. Two talented teams that don’t like each other and two fan bases that despise each other make for exciting games and great atmospheres. It also makes for great storylines for sports writers.

Unfortunately, the NHL is suffering from an extreme lack of rivalries right now. There hasn’t been a decent rivalry since the Red Wings and the Avalanche duked it out in the playoffs over and over again in the late 1990s.

Sure, Bruins and Canadiens fans like to say they have an intense rivalry. Penguins and Capitals fans claim their rivalry is growing. But let’s be honest. Nobody cares about the Boston-Montreal rivalry outside of New England and Quebec, and even though HBO did a great job profiling Pittsburgh and Washington last year in its 24/7 feature, the rivalry wasn’t all that exciting.

This isn’t just a hockey problem either.

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