Thoughts on the Winter Classic

As a concept, I really enjoyed the Winter Classic. Some elements of it that I could do without:

1. The incessant hunt for some story rife with controversy. CBC had their band of muppets scouring the stadium hunting for some nugget of smut that would entertain viewers. Honestly? I don't give a fuck if the towels won't slide down the bench. Players didn't request new laundry between periods!? Say it ain't so. The only 'controversy' was the whole switching ends and whining about the long change. And even that was moot. The NHL is not the NFL nor the MLB. There is no Terrel Owens, there is no Jessica Simpson curse and perhaps we should be grateful.

2. The constant commentary on the deteriorating weather conditions. People, these are hockey players. In case you haven't noticed they haul ass on a nightly basis on a sheet of ice. Ice is cold. I think we can logically conclude that these dudes can handle some cold weather and snow. For a hockey player (especially one of Canadian descent or origins in an Original 6 City) deteriorating conditions means the snow is blowing so hard you can't see your hand in front of your face AND a Yeti is chasing your ass.

3. Zamboni Status updates. Never in my life have I seen such focus on the Zamboni. An essential part of any hockey game but I'm not sure I need CBC coverage on the location and running condition of the two zambonis. I appreciate the effort though.

4. Lastly, I would appreciate if Gary Bettman would script these games a bit more . . . unpredictably. I wish I had posted my prediction for the game because of course it was going to overtime and of course the game winner was going to be scored by Crosby. Gary you're doing it all wrong. . .