NEW YEAR, NEW ICE BOWL

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you have all sufficiently recovered from your post party hangovers and if you haven't well at least you have a fun time last night I'm assuming. If you're like me, as in under 21, I'm going to go out on a limb here that you at least had champagne at midnight so therefore do not have a hangover and didn't wake up this morning wishing that you hadn't, woken up that is.

I of course watched the Winter Classic like every other self respecting hockey fan and no matter how much you try to convince me I still believe the one in Buffalo was better. I know I'm probably biased but come on what can beat 80,000 people screaming their heads off in the freezing cold while it snowed and snowed and snowed? And it wasn't just that sleet-snow it was that snow-globe snow the big fluffy flakes that made me want to lie down in the aisle making my best snow angel.

It was an overall good game both teams played well and the game wasn't interrupted ten times by the zamboni which meant that the game didn't last 4 hours. I for one wasn't surprised by the outcome because overall Detroit is the better team better defense (sorry Soupy), better offense (sorry Patrick) and as much as it pains me to say this better goaltending by Ty.

The game play I thought was more interesting this year more goals (9), one bone crushing hit with Dan Cleary ending up in the Chicago bench in retaliation for his hit Tuesday night on Patrick Kane and a dog pile? with most of the players on the ice ending up on top of each other. However, I'm more inclined to believe that the closer a game is the more interesting it is, then there's also the fact that our game went to overtime and then to a shoot out which is sure to get the fans' blood going.

I liked our jerseys for the Ice Bowl better, I thought Chicago's were too dark and that the numbers on the back were hard to see especially when the players were skating I also thought they were ugly with the big white stripe through the middle. Detroit's were cool with the Old English D on the front a throwback to their first year in the NHL the numbers on the back were at least easy to see. If they're going to have an outdoor game where the fans aren't going to be that close to the players they need to make the jerseys and the numbers contrasting colors so that people can see who they're looking at.

I can understand the significance of having the game in Wrigley field I actually think it's cool but it stands to reason that when having the game in a baseball stadium half the fans aren't going to be able to see the puck or the players very well as was the case today. The people who got seats in the outfield probably had no clue what was going on because let's see a small piece of galvanized rubber viewed from approximately 50 yards away...yeah that's not going to happen unless you happen to have the eyesight of a hawk or really really strong binoculars. At least at Ralph Wilson even the people who had the 10 dollar seats or those in the 300 deck could see the puck because they were sitting right on top of the ice almost. The people at Wrigley were in what could be considered the 200 deck and were at least 50 yards offering them little or no chance to follow the game except to look at the large video screens that were set up just for them.

But anyways I still think ours was better no bones about it and I don't care if I'm biased I will always believe that.