Rosters Now Set For 2011 All-Star Game

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game Rosters are now set. This year the format of the All-Star game as most people know was changed to a fantasy draft of players. Here is what the rosters look like for the game which will be played tomorrow in North Carolina at 4PM.

Team Lidström:
C Nicklas Lidström Detroit Red Wings D
A Patrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks RW
A Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning RW
Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning C
Duncan Keith Chicago Blackhawks D
Henrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks C
Shea Weber Nashville Predators D
Tim Thomas Boston Bruins G
Daniel Brière Philadelphia Flyers RW
Dustin Byfuglien Atlanta Thrashers D
Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks C
Marc-Andre Fleury Pittsburgh Penguins G
Jonas Hiller Anaheim Ducks G
Brad Richards Dallas Stars C
Keith Yandle Phoenix Coyotes D
Brent Burns Minnesota Wild D
Martin Havlát Minnesota Wild LW
Anže Kopitar Los Angeles Kings C
Matt Duchene Colorado Avalanche C
Loui Eriksson Dallas Stars LW
Phil Kessel Toronto Maple Leafs RW
Co-Head Coach: Alain Vigneault
Co-Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Team Staal:
C Eric Staal Carolina Hurricanes C
A Mike Green Washington Capitals D
A Ryan Kesler Vancouver Canucks C
Cam Ward Carolina Hurricanes G
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals LW
Daniel Sedin Vancouver Canucks LW
Zdeno Chára Boston Bruins D
Rick Nash Columbus Blue Jackets RW
Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers G
Marc Staal New York Rangers D
Patrick Sharp Chicago Blackhawks LW
Dan Boyle San Jose Sharks D
Carey Price Montreal Canadiens G
Jeff Skinner Carolina Hurricanes C
Kris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins D
Claude Giroux Philadelphia Flyers RW
Erik Karlsson Ottawa Senators D
Corey Perry Anaheim Ducks RW
Patrik Eliáš New Jersey Devils LW
David Backes St. Louis Blues RW
Paul Stastny Colorado Avalanche C
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Assistant Coach: Mike Haviland


Skills Competition will take place tonight at 7PM. All Star Game itself takes place at 4PM tomorrow from RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina,

NHL First Half Recap

With this weekend being the NHL All-Star Game I figured it was a good time to take a look back at the first half of the NHL Season so far. And here we go.A record six teams will open the regular season in Europe, in a series branded the "2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Games."[8] On October 7–8, 2010, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Minnesota Wild played two games at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland. The Hurricanes swept the Wild. On October 8–9, 2010, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks played two games at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The two teams split a two-game premiere. On October 9–10, 2010, the Boston Bruins and the Phoenix Coyotes played two games at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The two teams also split a two game premiere. The first Premiere Games goal was scored by Minnesota Wild forward Guillaume Latendresse. The regular season will also begin in North America on October 7 with four additional games. In Canada, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada will broadcast a double header featuring four Canadian teams. The first game will see the eastern Canadian Original Six-era rivalry rekindled, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens. This game will be followed by the Battle of Alberta when the Calgary Flames visit the Edmonton Oilers. In the United States, both 2010 Stanley Cup Finalists will be in action as well on Versus. Besides the previously mentioned Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins game to open Consol Energy Center, the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks will play against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center in the nightcap.[11] The Blackhawks will have their home opener two nights later against their Central Division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, and hoist their first Stanley Cup championship banner in 49 years in a pre-game ceremony. The first NHL Face-off games goal was scored by Tim Brent of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That takes care or opening weekends in the NHL.

Since then the only other major highlight of the season was the Winter Classic on New Years Day between the Capitals and Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic playing the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field on January 1, 2011.[8] The game was telecast on NBC in the USA and on CBC and RDS in Canada. The Washington Capitals won the game 3-1. The game was originally scheduled to be played at 1 PM. However inclement weather in Pittsburgh forced the NHL to move the game into prime-time at 8 PM. Highlighting the contest was the pair of goals scored by Eric Fehr the fight between Erskin and Rupp, and the delayed start time. All it all it was actually a fun night.

On October 30, 2010, four penalty shot goals were scored on one night for the first time in league history. David Booth, Frans Nielsen, Ryan Callahan and David Steckel were the scorers.[13] The previous record was three penalty shot goals in one night. Four penalty shot attempts in one night has occurred previously. On November 20, 2010, the 50,000th game in the NHL's history was played, counting all regular season and Stanley Cup playoff games,[14] going back to the league's inaugural season in 1917. Considering the fact the NHL has been around as long as it has that is pretty impressive to say the least.

Here are the current standings as of now in the league:

Eastern Conference
1 Philadelphia Flyers*
2 Tampa Bay Lightning*
3 Boston Bruins*
4 Pittsburgh Penguins
5 Washington Capitals
6 New York Rangers
7 Montreal Canadiens
8 Atlanta Thrashers
9 Carolina Hurricanes
10 Buffalo Sabres
11 Florida Panthers
12 Toronto Maple Leafs
13 Ottawa Senators
14 New York Islanders
15 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference
1 Vancouver Canucks*
2 Detroit Red Wings*
3 Dallas Stars*
4 Nashville Predators
5 Anaheim Ducks
6 Phoenix Coyotes
7 Chicago Blackhawks
8 San Jose Sharks
9 Colorado Avalanche
10 Minnesota Wild
11 Los Angeles Kings
12 Calgary Flames
13 Columbus Blue Jackets
14 St. Louis Blues
15 Edmonton Oilers

Here are the scoring leaders as of the Half Way Point:
Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 51 38 29 67 +12
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 41 32 34 66 +20
Daniel Sedin Vancouver Canucks 50 27 37 64 +21
Henrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks 50 11 50 61 +18
Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning 51 20 40 60 +6
Brad Richards Dallas Stars 50 20 37 57 +7
Henrik Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings 49 16 37 53 +6
Eric Staal Carolina Hurricanes 50 25 27 52 –9
Corey Perry Anaheim Ducks 52 25 26 51 +1
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 51 19 32 51 +14


Finally lets take a look at some of the Major Milestopnes that have been achieved in the NHL so far this season:
-On October 22, 2010, Ottawa Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson recorded a hat trick, with the third goal being his 1,000th career NHL point. He became the 75th player in league history to record 1,000 points.

-On October 26, 2010, Ottawa Senators defenseman Sergei Gonchar participated in his 1,000th NHL game.

-On October 28, 2010, Calgary Flames forward Craig Conroy participated in his 1,000th NHL game.

-On November 3, 2010, Buffalo Sabres forward Mike Grier participated in his 1,000th career NHL game.

-On November 6, 2010, Los Angeles Kings forward Ryan Smyth participated in his 1,000th career NHL game.

-On November 22, 2010, Ottawa Senators forward Alexei Kovalev recorded his 1,000th career NHL point with a goal against the Los Angeles Kings. He became the 76th player in league history to record 1,000 points, and the third Russian born player to do so.

-On November 24, 2010, Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi scored two goals, with the second being his 1,500th career NHL point. He became the 13th player in league history to reach this milestone.

-On December 26, 2010, Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski participated in his 1,000th NHL game.

-On December 27, 2010, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood recorded his 400th NHL win. He became the 10th player in league history to reach this milestone.

-On January 17, 2011, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau and Dallas Stars forward Jamie Langenbrunner both participated in their 1000th NHL game in separate contests.


So there you have it. A recap of the first half of the NHL Season. Stay tuned for a first half recap for the New York Islanders!

Superbowl 45 Set

Superbowl 45 is now set as it will be the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. First up is Packers-Bears. Green Bay's defense knocked Chicago starting quarterback Jay Cutler out of the game and intercepted three passes, one of which was returned for a score, and another which ended a last minute drive for a potential tying touchdown. With this win, the Packers became the first NFC #6 seed to advance the Super Bowl by defeating the top three seeded teams on the road.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers opened up the game with two completions to Greg Jennings for gains of 26 and 22 yards. A few plays later, he threw a 22-yard completion to Jordy Nelson at the Bears 2-yard line, setting up his 1-yard touchdown run give the Packers an early 7–0 lead. Later on, Tim Masthay 32-yard punt pinned Chicago back on their own 2-yard line. The Bears were unable to move the ball, and Tramon Williams returned Brad Maynard's punt 6 yards to the 44. Rodgers then completed passes to Brandon Jackson and Nelson for gains of 16 and 15 yards on the way to a 4-yard touchdown run by James Starks.

With time running out in the half, Rodgers threw a pass that was intercepted by Lance Briggs and returned to the Chicago 43. But Cutler returned the favor with an interception to Sam Shields and score remained 14–0 going into halftime. Cutler was injured on the play and although he returned for a few plays in the third quarter, he ended up having to sit the rest of the second half out.

After forcing Chicago to punt on the opening second half drive, Green Bay drove to the Bears 6-yard line. But linebacker Brian Urlacher ended the drive by intercepting Rodgers and returning the ball 39 yards before Rodgers made a touchdown saving tackle on the 45. However, Chicago could not take advantage of the turnover and had to punt. Cutler's replacement, Todd Collins, ended up being ineffective, throwing four consecutive incompletions before being benched in favor of Caleb Hanie with less then a minute left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Hanie's 32-yard completion to Johnny Knox moved the ball to the Packers 1-yard line, setting up a touchdown run by Chester Taylor that cut the score to 14–7. But three drives later, Hanie threw a short pass over the middle that was intercepted by 338-pound defensive tackle B.J. Raji and returned 18 yards for a touchdown. Hanie responded with four consective completions on the Bears next drive and finished it with a 35-yard touchdown throw to Earl Bennett, making the score 21–14. Then after forcing a punt, Chicago got the ball back with 2:53 remaining in the game and managed to drive to the Packers 29-yard line. But Green Bay's defense managed to hang on for the win, ending the drive with Shields' second interception with 37 seconds left in regulation.

Jennings caught 8 passes for 130 yards. Bears running back Matt Forte rushed for 70 yards and caught 10 passes for 90. Shields had 4 tackles, 2 interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble. Urlacher had 9 tackles, a sack, and an interception.

Now on to the AFC Championship between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh jumped to an early 24–0 lead and held off a desperate comeback rally to earn their third Super Bowl bid in the last six years.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall rushed 8 times for 28 yards on their opening drive, which took over 9 minutes off the clock and ended with his 1-yard touchdown run. Then he rushed four times for 22 yards and caught an 18-yard pass on a drive to the Jets 32-yard line. Linebacker Bryan Thomas ended the drive with an interception, but the Steelers forced a punt and drove for another score, aided by Mendenhall's 35-yard burst. Shaun Suisham finished the drive with a 20-yard field goal to make the score 10–0. Following another punt, Ben Roethlisberger completed a 24-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller, a 20-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders, and a 14-yard throw to Mendenhall on the way to a 2-yard touchdown run. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Ike Taylor sacked Jets quaterback Mark Sanchez on a defensive back blitz and forced a fumble, which cornerback William Gay returned 19 yards for a touchdown, increasing their lead to 24–0 with just over a minute left in the half. This time New York managed to respond, with Sanchez completing 4 passes for 39 yards on a drive that ended with a 42-yard field goal by Nick Folk, cutting the score to 24–3 going into halftime.

New York took the second half kickoff and scored with just five plays. Shonn Greene started off the drive with a 23-yard run, while Sanchez finished it with a pair of the completions to Santonio Holmes, the first for 16 yards, and the second a 45-yard touchdown completion. Pittsburgh responded with a drive to the Jets 37-yard line, but turned the ball over when safety Brodney Pool intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger inside the 10. After an exchange of punts, the Jets converted two fourth downs on a 17-play drive to a first down on the Steelers 2-yard line. But Pittsburgh's defense made a key goal line stand. First Green tried to run up the middle, but was stuffed at the 1-yard line. Then Sanchez threw an incomplete pass and another that was batted down by linebacker LaMarr Woodley. On fourth down, LaDanian Tomlinson tried to run through the middle, but Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton tackled him for no gain, turning the ball over.

On the next play, Roethlisberger fumbled a snap and was downed in the end zone for a safety. New York then drove 58 yards following the free kick and scored with Sanchez' 4-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery, cutting their deficit to 24–19 with 3:06 left in the game. But the Steelers managed to pick up two key first downs on their next drive with a 14-yard reception by Miller and a 14-yard catch by Antonio Brown on third down and six with less then two minutes left, enabling them to run out the rest of the clock.

Mendenhall rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown, while also catching two passes for 32. Sanchez threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Pool had six tackles and an interception. Stay tuned here to Solly on Sports for a Super Bowl Preview as we get closer to game time. But the next few posts will be a first half recap in the NHL for the New York Islanders and a preview of teh NHL All Star Game

The Final 4 Now Set in the NFL

The NFL was turned on its ear this past weekend with both #1 seeds in the NFL now out of the playoffs. First game of the weekend was Ravens at Steelers. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 58-yard completion to Antonio Brown set up Rashard Mendenhall's game winning 2-yard touchdown run with 1:33 left in the game. Despite the game's high score, it was actually a defensive battle, with both teams combining for just 389 yards and scoring most of their points off turnovers. Roethlisberger was sacked 6 times, and Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked 5. Meanwhile, the Ravens were held to just 126 yards and were buried under a mountain of turnovers, penalties, and dropped passes.

After forcing the Ravens to punt on the opening drive, Pittsburgh drove 80 yards on the way to Mendenhall's 1-yard touchdown run, assisted by a 37-yard pass interference penalty on Baltimore defensive back Josh Wilson. But the Ravens countered with a 68-yard scoring drive, aided by a 33-yard pass interference penalty on Pittsburgh's Anthony Madison. Ray Rice finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Then two plays into the Steelers next drive, Roethlisberger was hit by Terrell Suggs as he pulled his arm back to throw a pass, resulting in a fumble. Nearly all the players on both teams thought it was an incomplete pass since the ball went forward and headed back to their huddles, but Ravens lineman Cory Redding realized the play was still ongoing and returned the ball 13 yards for a touchdown.

In the second quarter, Ravens safety Ed Reed recovered a fumble from Mendenhall at the Steelers 16-yard line, setting up Flacco's 4-yard touchdown pass to Todd Heap that gave them a 21–7 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a drive to the Baltimore 25-yard line, but came up empty when Shaun Suisham missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with 25 seconds left in the half.
However, the Steelers dominated the third quarter, forcing three turnovers and holding the Ravens to negative yardage. Less then five minutes into the quarter, Rice lost a fumble while being tackled by Ryan Clark, and linebacker LaMarr Woodley recovered it on the Baltimore 23-yard line. After a 14-yard run by Mendenhall, Roethlisberger threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller. Then after an exchange of punts, Clark intercepted a pass from Flacco and returned it 17 yards to the Ravens 25-yard line. Mendenhall started the drive with a 13-yard run, and Reothlisberger finished it with a 8-yard third down touchdown pass to Hines Ward, tying the game at 21. Just two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Flacco fumble a snap and Steelers lineman Brett Keisel recovered it at the Baltimore 23. This time the Steelers were unable to get a touchdown, as Roethlisberger was sacked by Suggs on third down and six after driving inside the 10-yard line, but Suisham kicked a 35-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh their first lead of the game with 12:15 left in regulation.

Later on, Baltimore's Lardarius Webb returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown, only to have it called back by a holding penalty on Marcus Smith. Still, his return gave them good field position on the Steelers 29-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Flacco completed a 21-yard pass to Heap. But over the next three plays, Baltimore rushers were stuffed twice and then receiver Anquan Boldin dropped a pass in the end zone, forcing them to settle for Billy Cundiff's field goal to tie the score with 3:54 remaining in the game.

David Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 16 yards to the 35-yard line, and Pittsburgh retook the lead with a 65-yard drive featuring three key third down conversions. After starting out with two incompletions, Roethleberger threw a 12-yard pass to Ward on third down and ten. Then Roethlisberger was sacked for a 9-yard loss by Redding and Paul Kruger and threw another incompletion, bringing up third down and 19 with 2:07 to go. On the next play, Roethlisberger dropped back and launched a 58-yard bomb to Brown at the 4-yard line. After a defensive holding penalty moved the ball to the 1, the Ravens defense kept Mendenhall out of the end zone for two more plays. But on third down, he scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 31–24 lead with 1:33 remaining in regulation.

Le'Ron McClain returned Suisham's squib kick 12 yards to the Steelers 48-yard line, giving Baltimore a chance to drive the tying touchdown. But their offense was unable to move the ball. After two incompletions and an 8-yard sack by Ziggy Hood, receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh dropped a potential first down catch, ending any chance of a comeback.

Roethlisberger completed 19 of 32 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Steelers linebacker James Harrison recorded 5 tackles, two assists, and three sacks. Suggs finished with five tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble. With this win, Pittsburgh advanced to their fourth AFC championship game since 2004.

Now on to the first upset of the Weekend the Packers take down the Falcons. The Packers blew out Atlanta by racking up 442 total yards, 28 first downs, and a franchise playoff record 48 points. Aaron Rodgers was nearly perfect, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground. Green Bay never punted the ball, and got a big performance from defensive back Tramon Williams, who picked off two passes from Matt Ryan and returned one of them 70 yards for a touchdown.

But early in the game, it seemed things would go in Atlanta's favor. After Michael Koenen's 33-yard punt pinned the Packers back at their own 8-yard line, Rodgers threw a short pass to Greg Jennings, who took off for a 30-yard gain. But he fumbled the ball after being hit from behind by Stephen Nicholas and defensive back Brent Grimes recovered the ball at the Green Bay 48-yard line. On the Falcons ensuing drive, a 22-yard reception by Michael Jenkins and a fourth down conversion run by Ovie Mughelli set up a 12-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner. Green Bay responded with an 81-yard scoring drive that took nearly 8 minutes. Rodgers completed 7 of 7 passes for 48 yards on the drive, the last one a 6-yard touchdown toss to Jordy Nelson, who caught the ball near the sidelines and just managed to stretch the ball into the pylon while being shoved out of bounds. However, Atlanta quickly retook the lead when Eric Weems returned Mason Crosby's kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown, the longest scoring play in NFL playoff history.

But the Packers suddenly stormed back with 35 unanswered points. Rodgers quickly completed two passes to Jennings for 22 yards and then hit James Jones for a 34-yard gain to the Falcons 16-yard line. Two plays later, fullback John Kuhn scored a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Atlanta responded with a drive to the Packers 19-yard line. But on the next play, Charles Woodson sacked Ryan for a 7-yard loss. Then on third down, Williams stepped in front of a pass intended for Jenkins and made a leaping interception in the end zone. Rodgers took over and went back to work, completing 6 consecutive passes on an 80-yard scoring drive that ended with his 20-yard touchdown completion to Jones, giving the Packers a 21–14 lead with 42 seconds left before halftime. Aided by two pass interference penalties against Green Bay, Atlanta drove to the Packers 26-yard line. But once again the defense prevented a score. First linebacker Clay Matthews sacked Ryan for a 9-yard loss. Rather then attempt a 50-yard field goal, the Falcons tried one last play to move the ball closer. But Williams intercepted Ryan's pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the half.

In the second half the Packers picked up right where they left off. Rodgers was sacked by John Abraham for a 10-yard loss on the first play. But it didn't stop Rodgers from completing 5 of 6 passes for 56 yards on an 80-yard scoring drive that ended with his 7-yard touchdown run, making the score 35–14. Atlanta was forced to a three-and-out on their next drive after a Green Bay replay challenge overruled a first down catch by Jenkins, and Koenen's punt went just 21 yards to midfield. Green Bay subsequently drove 50 yards and scored with a Rodgers' 7-yard pass to Kuhn.

This time, the Falcons finally managed to respond. Ryan completed seven consecutive passes on their next drive, the last one a 6-yard touchdown throw to Roddy White. But Green Bay dominated the rest of the game, forcing two more turnovers that were both converted into field goals by Crosby, making the final score 48–21.

Jennings finished with 8 receptions for 101 yards, while Nelson added 8 receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown. This game gave Rodgers ten touchdown passes in his first three playoff games, setting an NFL postseason record. Matthews had three tackles and two sacks. Weems had six kickoff returns for 195 yards. Turner, who rushed for over 1,300 yards during the season, was held to just 39 yards on 10 carries.

Now on to Sunday's matchups. First its the Bears hosting the surprise Seahawks. Chicago dominated the game from start to finish, outgaining Seattle in total yards 437 to 276 and scoring 28 unanswered points over the first three quarters. After forcing Seattle to a three-and-out on the opening drive, Chicago scored on their third play of the game when tight end Greg Olsen ran past safety Lawyer Milloy, caught a pass from Jay Cutler, and took it 58 yards to the end zone. Later in the quarter, Bears receiver Devin Hester returned a punt 26 yards to midfield. Following a 33-yard reception by Olsen and a fourth down conversion run by Cutler, Chester Taylor scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. After forcing a punt, Chicago got the ball back on their own 37-yard line early in the second quarter. Cutler started the drive with a 22-yard completion to Olsen, and later finished it with a 6-yard touchdown run to give the Bears a 21–0 lead.

In the second half, Chicago increased their lead to 28–0 with Cutler's second touchdown run at the end of a 14-play, 70-yard drive. After being completely dominated up to this point, Seattle managed to mount a comeback. First, Leon Washington's 62-yard kickoff return set up a 30-yard field goal by Olindo Mare. Then Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry intercepted a pass from Bears running back Matt Forte and returned it 23 yards to the Bears 33-yard line. Aided by a defensive holding penalty on Tim Jennings that nullified his interception, Seattle cut the score to 28–10 with Matt Hasselbeck's 2-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams.

But after forcing a punt, Tommie Harris sacked Hasselbeck on third down at his own 13-yard line, and Jon Ryan's punt went just 35 yards to the Seattle 48. Two plays later, Cutler threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis, putting Chicago up 35–10.

With less than five minutes remaining in the game, Seattle refused to give up. Hasselbeck completed six consecutive passes on the next drive, the last a 17-yard touchdown strike to Williams. After forcing a punt, Hasslebeck completed a 46-yarder to Benjamin Obomanu and followed it up with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley, bringing the score to 35–24. But Chicago put the game away by recovering Mare's onside kick with 1:25 left in the game.

Cutler finished his first career playoff game 15 of 28 for 274 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also rushed for 43 yards and two scores. His 43 rushing yards were the most by a Bears quarterback in the postseason since Sid Luckman in 1943. He also joined Otto Graham as one of two players ever to run and throw for multiple touchdowns in a playoff game. Olsen had three receptions for 113 yards, all in the first half. Chicago running back Matt Forté rushed for 80 yards, caught three passes for 54, and threw one pass which was intercepted. Harris had two sacks, which were his only tackles of the game. Hasselbeck threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Stokley had eight catches for 85 yards and a score.

Finally on to my game of the weekend the Jets and Pats. Mark Sanchez completed 16 of 25 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Jets to victory, avenging a 45–3 loss to New England in December.

On the Patriots first drive, Tom Brady threw his first interception since Week 5 of the regular season, which linebacker David Harris picked off and returned 58 yards before tight end Alge Crumpler made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 12-yard line. But New York could not get any points off the turnover, as they were unable to get a first down and Nick Folk missed a 30-yard field goal attempt. Several plays into New England's next drive, Brady completed a 28-yard pass to Crumpler at the Jets' 12-yard line. But after a 5-yard run by Danny Woodhead, Crumpler dropped a pass in the end zone and then Brady was sacked by Shaun Ellis, forcing them to settle for Shayne Graham's 34-yard field goal to give them a 3–0 lead.

In the second quarter, a third down sack of Brady by Drew Coleman forced New England to punt from their own 16, and Jerricho Cotchery returned the ball to the Patriots 49-yard line. A few plays later, Sanchez' 37-yard completion to Braylon Edwards set up his 7-yard touchdown pass to LaDainian Tomlinson. Later on, New England attempted a fake punt with a direct snap to safety Patrick Chung on fourth down and four. But Chung fumbled the snap and was tackled on his own 25-yard line, and the Jets converted the turnover with Sanchez' 15-yard touchdown pass to Edwards with 33 seconds left in the half, making the score 14–3.

Late in the third quarter, New England drove 80 yards in 11 plays, with Brady completing a 37-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski and two passes to Deion Branch for 28 yards on the way to a 2-yard touchdown pass to Crumpler. Then Sammy Morris scored a 2-point conversion run, cutting their deficit to 14–11. But the Jets quickly countered, with Sanchez throwing a short pass to Cotchery, who took it 58 yards to the Patriots 13-yard line. Two plays later, Sanchez threw a high pass for Santonio Holmes, who managed to catch the ball and land in the end zone while falling out of bounds, giving New York a 10-point lead two minutes into the fourth quarter.

After the kickoff, New England drove to the Jets 34-yard line with an eight-minute drive, but then faced fourth down and 13. Rather than risk a 52-yard field goal attempt, they attempted to get the first down, but Branch dropped a pass from Brady and the Patriots turned the ball over. New England's defense then made a key defensive stand, forcing a quick three-and-out, and Julian Edelman returned Steve Weatherford's punt 41 yards to the New York 43-yard line before being tackled by Weatherford himself. Brady then led New England to the 17-yard line where Graham made his second field goal to cut their deficit to 7 points. However, Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie recovered Graham's onside kick attempt and returned it 23 yards to the Patriots 20-yard line. Shonn Greene then scored with a 16-yard run, making the score 28–14 with 1:41 left in the game.
Brandon Tate returned the ensuing kickoff 23 yards to the 41-yard line, sparking a 59-yard scoring drive that ended with Brady's 13-yard touchdown pass to Branch with 24 seconds left. But Graham's second attempt at an onside kick also failed, ending any chance of a miracle comeback.

Brady finished the game 29 of 45 for 299 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. His one pick ended his NFL record of consecutive passes without an interception at 340. Cotchery had five receptions for 96 yards; Harris had nine tackles, three assists, and an interception; while Ellis added 5 tackles and two sacks. With this win, the Jets advanced to their second consecutive AFC championship game in Sanchez' first two years as a starter.

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Preview

The Divisional Round of the 2011 NFL Playoffs are set to go. The first matchup to look at is the first game of the weekend which is Saturday January 15th at 4:30pm as the AFC North Champions the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Wild Card winner, and Division Rival Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field. These 2 teams met twice during the regular season. The first meeting took place at Heinz Field on October 3rd and Baltimore walked away with the 17-14 Victory. The 2nd meeting took place December 5th at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, a game in which the Steelers won 13-10. Both games between the 2 were decided by 3 points. This could be the most physical game of the weekend without a doubt. And the trend with this matchup during the season was that the road team won both games. If you believe in statistics and things like that then most would take Baltimore in this contest, however I don't really see that happening. Last weekend Baltimore beat what I consider a push over Kansas City Chiefs team without some much as really breaking a sweat. The Steelers are by far a better football team then the Chiefs were. Don't get me wrong this will still be a close football game but I'm taking Pittsburgh in this one by a touchdown.

Next up is the Wild Card 10-6 Green Bay Packers heading to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to take on the NFC South Champion and 13-3 Atlanta Falcons. This game is a rematch of the Week 12 game of the Green Bay Packers vs. the Atlanta Falcons, which the Falcons won 20–17. Prior to this season, the best team the Falcons ever produced on the field was in 1998 when they went 14-2 and won the NFC West. That year they made it all the way to the Super Bowl before losing to John Elway and the Denver Broncos 34-19. Atlanta and Green Bay have met twice before in the NFL Playoffs and each team has 1 victory. Green bay won the first meeting in 1997 on Wild Card Weekend 30-27, while Atlanta won the 2nd matchup in 2002, again in Wild Card Weekend 27-7. So this is the playoff rubber match between the 2 teams. Aaron Rogers will have an OK week again this week for the Packers but Atlanta overall will be just too much for the Packers I take the Falcons by 14.

Now moving on to the Sunday games in the NFL. First up on Sunday is the 1pm game at Soldier Field in Chicago as the NFC North Champions and 11-5 Chicago Bears play host to the 7-9 NFC West Champions Seattle Seahawks. Last week Seattle became the first under 500 team to win a playoff game as they beat the defending Super Bowl Champion Saints. This game is a rematch of the Week 6 game, which the Seahawks won 23–20. This game is also a rematch of the Divisional playoff round on January 14th, 2007, which the Bears won 27–24 in overtime on a Robbie Gould field goal. So there is a little payback on the minds of the Seahawks for that OT loss in 07. However the Seahawks can dream all they want as the the BEars will steamroll over the Hawks by at least 3 touchdowns.

Now for the matchup that has the most intrest for me this weekend. Sunday afternoon 4:30 kickoff the AFC East Champion 14-2 New England Patriots play host to Division Rival the 11-5 New York Jets. These 2 teams met twice during the regular season. First meeting took place September 19th at the NEw Medowlands Stadium and the Jets won 28-14. The Patriots got payback on home field on December 6th when New WEngland rolled 45-3. The teams have met twice in the playoffs and New England has won both matchups. As much as it really REALLY pains me to say this I'm taking the Patriots to make it a 3 for 3 all time in the post season against the Jets. Patriots by a touchdown.

NFL Wild Card Weekend In The Books!

NFL Wild Card Weekend 2011 is officially in the Books. Lets take a look at a recap of what happened over the weekend. Lets start off with the early game saturday Seattle knocking off the Super Bowl Champion Saints. The Seahawks made history by becoming the first 7–9 team ever to make the playoffs and then did it again by becoming the first to win a playoff game, racking up 31 first downs and 474 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch late in the fourth quarter. This marked the fifth consecutive year a Super Bowl champion failed win a playoff game in the next season.

Two early Seahawk miscues enabled the Saints to build a 10-point lead. First Olindo Mare kicked the opening kickoff out of bounds, giving New Orleans the ball at their 40-yard line. New Orleans then drove to the Seahawks' 8-yard line, but had to settle for a Garrett Hartley field goal after Reggie Bush dropped a pass on third down that could have kept the drive going. Then three plays into the Seahawks' drive, Matt Hasselbeck's pass went through the hands of receiver Benjamin Obomanu and into the arms of defensive back Jabari Greer, who returned the interception 10 yards to the Seattle 35. New Orleans subsequently drove 35 yards in nine plays, aided by a third down pass interference penalty on Walter Thurmond in the end zone, and scored with Drew Brees' 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback Heath Evans, giving them a 10–0 lead.

Seattle fullback Michael Robinson returned Hartley's short kickoff 18 yards to the 43-yard line, and the Seahawks struck back with a 57-yard drive that ended with Hasslebeck's 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Carlson. The Saints countered as Brees completed 4 of 5 passes for 53 yards on an 83-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Julius Jones, who had been cut by Seattle early in the season. But Hasselbeck led the Seahwaks right back on a 70-yard scoring drive, featuring a 39-yard reception by tight end Cameron Morrah. On the next play, Hasslebeck threw his second touchdown pass to Carlson, cutting the score to 17–14. After an exchange of punts, Jones lost a fumble while being tackled by Raheem Brock that Seattle linebacker David Hawthorne recovered on the Saints' 18-yard line, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Mare to tie the game.

With 1:15 left in the second quarter, Hasslebeck launched a 45-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley, giving Seattle their first lead of the game at 24–17. But a 40-yard reception by Devery Henderson helped the Saints drive to the Seattle 3-yard line where Hartley made his second field goal to cut the score to 24–20 as time expired in the half. This was only the second playoff game in which both teams scored at least 20 points in the first two quarters.

The Seahawks increased their lead to 31–20 on their opening drive of the second half, as Hasslebeck threw an 18-yard completion to Obomanu and finished the drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams. Then after forcing a punt, Mare kicked a 39-yard field goal to make the score 34–20 with 9:54 left in the quarter. The Seahawks got a chance to build a three-score lead after stopping Jones for no gain on fourth down and 1 on the Saints' 37-yard line, but they could only gain a few yards with their next drive, and a delay of game penalty on fourth down pushed them out of field goal range.

New Orleans got the ball back at their 13-yard line following Jon Ryan's punt, and mounted an 83-yard drive that ended with Jones' second touchdown run of the game, making the score 34–27 with 13:11 left in regulation. Then they forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with good field position on their 44-yard line with Lance Moore's 8-yard punt return. On the second play of their ensuing drive, Brees threw a short pass to Jones, who took it 33 yards to the Seattle 23. But several plays later, Seattle's defense halted the drive at the 3-yard line, where the Saints settled for Hartley's third field goal to cut the score to 34–30.

After an exchange of punts, Seattle got the ball with 4:20 left in the game. On the first play of the drive, Lynch was stuffed for no gain. But on the next play, he took off for a 67-yard touchdown run in which he broke at least seven tackles en route to the end zone. The crowd in Seattle was so loud during the run that local seismographs recorded it as a small earthquake.[3] With 1:52 left, Brees struck back with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Henderson, but the 2-point conversion failed, keeping the score at 41–36. Then Carlson sealed the victory by recovering Hartley's onside kick attempt, enabling Seattle to run out the rest of the clock.

Brees finished with 39 of 60 completions for 404 yards and two touchdowns. His 39 completions set a postseason record. Jones, who became the first player ever to score a touchdown in the postseason against a team that had cut him in the regular season, rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 6 passes for 61 yards. Hasselbeck completed 22 of 35 passes for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception. Lynch added 131 rushing yards and a touchdown for Seattle, who had not had a 100-yard rusher in any of their regular season games.

Now on to the game that had meaning for me, the Jets get a late field goal from Nick Folk to beat the Colts 17-16. As he had done several times before, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri gave his team a fourth quarter lead with less then a minute remaining by making a clutch field goal. But this time it was not enough, as New York managed to avenge their previous season loss to Indianapolis in the AFC title game by winning on a Nick Folk field goal as time expired in the game.

The first quarter was scoreless as every drive in it by both teams ended with a punt. The game remained scoreless until just over 5 minutes remained in the half, when Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon. New York responded with a long drive to the Colts' 19-yard line, but with less then a minute left, defensive back Justin Tryon intercepted a pass from Mark Sanchez in the end zone to keep them scoreless going into halftime.

New York managed to tie the game on their opening drive, starting with with Antonio Cromartie's 41-yard kickoff return to the 37-yard line. The Jets subsequently drove 63 yards in 10 plays, featuring a 20-yard reception by tight end Dustin Keller, on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by LaDainian Tomlinson. Indianapolis countered with a 9-play drive to the New York 29-yard line, with Manning completing a 23-yard pass to Blair White and Joseph Addai rushing for 14 yards. Vinatieri finished the drive with a 47-yard field goal to give them a 3-point lead. But the Jets responded with a 17-play, 87-yard drive that consumed almost 10 minutes and featured three third down conversions. Tomlinson capped off the drive with his second 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 14–10.

With 5:22 left in the game, Vinatieri's 32-yard field goal cut the Colts' deficit to one point. Indianapolis' defense subsequently forced a punt after three plays, but a running into the punter penalty against them kept the drive going, allowing New York to take more time off the clock and forcing the Colts to use two timeouts. Indianapolis got the ball back with 2:36 left in the game, and retook the lead with a 48-yard drive as Manning completed two passes to tight end Jacob Tamme for gains of 15 and 11 yards, along with a 12-yard completion to Blair White. At the end of the drive, Vinatieri made a 50-yard field goal to give the Colts a 2-point lead with 53 seconds left in regulation.

However the Jets stormed back to drive for the winning score, as Cromartie returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards to the 46-yard line. After that, Sanchez completed passes to Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes for gains of 9 and 11 yards. Then after a 2-yard run by Tomlinson, he completed an 18-yard pass to Edwards, who made a leaping catch near the sidelines and managed to keep both feet in bounds at the Colts' 14-yard line with 29 seconds left on the clock. After letting the clock run down to three seconds, New York called their final timeout and sent Folk out to kick a 32-yard field goal, which sailed through the uprights as time expired to win the game for the Jets.

Manning finished 18 of 26 for 221 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Garçon, who caught five passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Reggie Wayne, the Colts' leading receiver in the regular season, was completely shut down while being covered by Darrelle Revis, held to just one reception for one yard. Tomlinson rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 4 passes for 17 yards, while running back Shonn Greene added another 70 yards on the ground.

Moving on to the Sunday games, it started off with Baltimore rolling over Kansas City. Baltimore dominated the game on both sides of the ball, massively outgaining Kansas City in total yards (390 to 161), first downs (26 to 8), and time of possesion (44:44 to 18:16) The Chiefs, who only lost 14 turnovers all year, turned the ball over five times and went home with their seventh consecutive playoff loss. Their losing steak has covered 17 years and four different coaches.

Baltimore took the opening kickoff and drove 64 yards to a first down at the Chiefs 1-yard line, with Joe Flacco completing a 27-yard pass to Anquan Boldin and three passes to tight end Todd Heap for 32 yards. But they were stuffed twice for no gain and then Flacco's incomplete pass forced them to settle for a field goal from Billy Cundiff. The Ravens quickly forced a punt, but several plays into thier next drive Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali sacked Flacco and forced a fumble, which he recovered on the Baltimore 46. Following a 5-yard scramble by Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles' 41-yard touchdown romp gave his team a 7–3 lead. It was the longest touchdown run ever allowed by the Ravens in the postseason. Later in the second quarter, the Ravens retook the lead with an 80-yard scoring drive. Ray Rice finished it with a 9-yard touchdown run to give the Ravens a 10–7 lead with 19 seconds left before halftime.

In the second half, Baltimore completely took over the game, adding 20 more unanswered points and holding Charles, who rushed for over 80 yards in the first half, to negative yardage in the last two quarters. Kansas City gained just 25 total yards in the entire half.

On the fourth play of the opening second half drive, Cassel threw an interception to safety Haruki Nakamura. Kansas City managed to get the ball back when Charles forced and recoverd a fumble from Nakamura during the return, but their second attempt at a drive fared no better and ended with a turnover on downs at the Ravens 38-yard line. Baltimore then drove to the Kansas City 11-yard line where Cundiff made his second field goal of the game. Then Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis forced a fumble while tackling Dexter McCluster that cornerback Chris Carr recovered on the Chiefs 17-yard line, setting up Cundiff's third field goal to increase their lead to 16–7. Just two plays into their next drive, Kansas City lost another turnover when Cassel threw an interception to Dawan Landry, which led to Flacco's 4-yard touchdown pass to Boldin. Then after a three and out, the Ravens put the game away by mounting a 10 minute scoring drive that ended with Willis McGahee's 25-yard touchdown burst with 4:26 left in the game, making the final score 30–7.

Flacco finished with 25 of 34 completions for 265 yards and two touchdowns. He became the first Raven ever to throw multiple touchdown passes in a playoff game. Heap had a career high 10 receptions for 106 yards, setting the franchise record for receptions in a postseason game. Linebacker Terrell Suggs led the Ravens defense with four tackles and two sacks. Cassel was held to just 9 of 18 completions for 70 yards with 3 interceptions, and Dwayne Bowe, the team's top receiver with 1,162 yards and an NFL-leading 15 touchdown catches during the season, did not have any receptions in the game.

The final game of the weekend saw the Packers ground Mike Vick and the Eagles. Green Bay defensive back Tramon Williams' interception in the end zone sealed the Packers victory with 33 seconds left in the game. Green Bay never trailed during the entire game, and got big performances from Aaron Rogers, who threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns, and James Starks, who rushed for 123 yards, which was more then his entire regular season total.

Philadelphia got an early scoring opportunity when they recovered a muffed punt at the Packers 41-yard line. But their drive was halted at the 23 and ended with no points when David Akers missed a 41-yard field goal attempt. Later on, the Packers drive 68 yards in 10 plays, featuring a 27-yard run by Starks. With 8 seconds left in the quarter, Rogers threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to reserve tight end Tom Crabtree. In the second quarter, Williams' 8-yard punt return gave his team the ball at their 43-yard line, and they drove for another touchdown, scoring with Rogers' 9-yard pass to James Jones. Getting the ball back with just over 5 minutes left, Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick completed a 44-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin and rushed for 14 yards to set up a 29-yard field goal by Akers with 1:15 left in the half, making the score 14–3.

The Eagles scored quickly in the second half, taking advantage of Darryl Tapp's fumble recovery while sacking Rogers on the Packers 24-yard line. One play later, Vick cut the score to 14–10 with a touchdown pass to Jason Avant. But Rogers led his team back, completing two passes to Donald Driver for 26 yards and a 16-yarder to fullback John Kuhn before finishing the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jackson. Near the end of the quarter, the Eagles mounted a drive to the Packers 16-yard line, but came up empty when Akers missed another field goal, this one from 34 yards.

With 8:50 left in the game, Vick completed 5 of 8 passes for 68 yards on a 75-yard toucdhown drive, scoring on a fourth down 1-yard run. On a two point conversion attempt, Vick completed a pass to tight end Brent Celek, but the it was negated by a penalty against him for putting a foot out of bounds before he came back to catch the ball and their second attempt was incomplete, keeping the score at 21–16. Philadelphia had to use up all their timeouts on the Packers ensuring drive, but got the ball back with 1:45 left in the game. Receptions by DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper for gains of 28 and 11 yards moved the ball to the Green Bay 24-yard line. But with 33 seconds left, Williams intercepted a pass intended for Cooper in the end zone to put the game away.

Vick finished with 290 passing yards and a touchdown, with one interception, and added 33 yards and another score on the ground.

So the matchups set up for the Divisional Round are as follows. In the AFC it will be Baltimore at Pittsburgh and the Jets at the Patriots. For the NFC it will be the Packers at the Falcons and the Seahawks at the Bears. Preview will come at the end of the week.

2010 NFL Playoff Matchups Set

The 2010-2011 NFL Postseason is upon us. Of the 32 NFL teams only 12 remain standing and can now begin the chase for the Lombardi trophy as NFL World Champions. As always the top 2 teams in each conference will get a 1st round bye. This year, the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons have the week off as the top 2 seeds in each conference. So lets now take a look at the games set to open the playoffs this weekend starting on Saturday January 8th.

First game up on the 8th will be at 4:30PM (Eastern Standard Time) and will feature the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. As the wild card team they have to travel to Qwest Field in Seattle to take on the Seahawks. The game will be televised on local NBC affiliates. At this same time last year the Saints got into the playoffs as a wild card team and went on to win the whole thing. New Orleans is a good football team, don't get me wrong, but they don't seem to be as good of a team going into the playoffs as they did last year. New Orleans finished 11-5, good for 2nd in their division, behind the best team in the NFC the Atlanta Falcons. Seattle won the NFC West with a 7-9 record, the only under 500 team to make the playoffs. Taking into account location of the game and the 2 teams involved I'll take the Saints in this one by a touchdown. Winner of this game, whoever it may be, will have to travel the following week to Atlanta to take on the Falcons at the Georgia Dome.

As for the other game taking place on January 9th, it will be the 11-5 New York Jets traveling to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to take on the 10-6 AFC South Champion Colts. That game will kickoff at 8PM and again will be seen on NBC. For those who remember this is a rematch of last years AFC Championship game, which was won by the Colts en route to the Super Bowl. Last year the Jets made the playoffs by winning the final 3 games of the season and getting in on the last week. This year they had some help, in the form of a Jaguars loss in week 16, to get them in. As for the Colts, their season didn't start off so hot, losing the 1st 2 games of the year. They were able to turn the season around and come back to win the division. Winner of this game will have to travel to either New England or Pittsburgh, depending on what happens with the other AFC wild card game. As for this one, the Jets have had the better record and Indy has looked human this season, I take the Jets by 3.

Moving on to Sunday January 9th we have the remaining 2 games of the week. First up is the 1PM game between the 12-4 Baltimore Ravens going to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the 10-6 AFC West Champion Kansas City Chiefs. OF all the 1st round playoff matchups this one seems to be the most physical. Chiefs are good, don't get me wrong. Baltimore still has the most intimidating defense in the NFL. This game is gonna come down to who can hit the hardest and make the biggest impact. I say Baltimore pulls the Upset and wins by 3 in OT.

Now on to the final game of the weekend. It's again on Sunday the 9th and it will be in Philadelphia as the NFC East Champion and 10-6 Eagles host the 10-6 Green Bay Packers. Kickoff is set for this on3 at 4:30 on Fox. As far as records are concerned, this may be the most even matchup. BUt in reality I don't think it's really all that even. Green Bay had a very solid season but they finished 2nd in the NFC North behind the 11-5 Bears. Arron Rogers has done a very good job in Green Bay of helping Packers fans forget about Brett Farve. As for the Eagles, they I feel got in on the strength of an overall solid defense and there 2 big offensive weapons, Michael Vick and DeShawn Jackson. If the Packers were smart kick the ball to anybody else on the field except DeShawn Jackson. If you think it's a good idea to kick to Jackson, ask the New York Giants how that turned out. For the Packers to win this game, they need to try there hardest to keep Jackson away from the ball. But I don't think that is going to happen, Eagles win by a touchdown.

2011 NHL Winter Classic is Here!

The day has finally arrived, the 2011 NHL Winter Classic is here and now. The puck is set to drop at 8pm. Originally the opening faceoff was supposed to be at 1 but due to weather conditions in Pittsburgh puck drop will now take place at 8. Location for the event this year is at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh as Sidney Crosby and the Penguins take on Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals. As previously mentioned, this is the 4th rendition of the event.

The 1st event took place in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo NY as the Buffalo Sabres played host to the Pittsbugrgh Penguins. The Penguins won the game in a shootout. Final score of the shooutout was 2-1 as was the final score of the game. Colby Armstrong scored for the Penguins 21 seconds into the game after being set up by Sidney Crosby. Buffalo tied the game 1:25 into the 2nd period on a Brian Campbell. Neither team could score after that so the game went into a shootout before Sidney Crosby won it.

That was the first game. In 2009 the scene shifted to Wrigley Field in Chicago as the Blackhawks took on the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit took the game by a 6-4 final. By the end of the 1st period the Hawks had a 3-1 lead. Chicago got goals from Kris Versteeg and Martin Havlat on the Powerplay and Ben Eager at Even Strength. Detroit's loan goal came from Mikael Samuelsson. Moving on to the 2nd period, Detroit and their high powered offense woke up for 3 goals, 2 from Juri Hudler and one from Pavel Datsyuk to take a 4-3 lead. The 3rd period was much of the same, Detroit scoring. The Hawks got a late powerplay goal from Duncan Keith. However the Wings had already scored twice in the period, a powerplay goal from Brian Rafalski and an even strength goal from Brett Lebda. The Wings took the game 6-4.

Last year the event took place at Fenway Park in Boston Mass as the Boston Bruins took on the Philadelphia Flyers. For the 2nd time in 3 years this one, like in 2008 in Buffalo, had to go to Overtime to be decided. The Flyers got the early lead on a Danny Syvret 2nd period goal. Boston tied the game in the 3rd period on a Mark Recchi Power Play goal. The game then went into overtime and 2 minutes in Marco Sturm won the game. Here is the game winner from last year's classic:




In the 3 past Winter Classic's a trend has been associated with the event. Over the past 3 years, the road team in the Winter Classic has gone on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. So if that trend continues then the Washington Capitals may have a date with Lord Stanley by the time June rolls around. Now on to this year's classic, it's Capitals-Penguins from Pittsburgh. Now the start time to today's game was supposed to be a t 1 but due to weather conditions in Pittsburgh opening faceoff has been pushed back to 8pm. This game does hold meaning as it is still a regular season game and 2 points are on the line just as in any regular NHL game. Besides this being Caps-Pens, its also being highlighted as Sid-Ovi which is turning into a bigger rivlary then Lemieux-Gretzky ever did. Today should be a good solid entertaning hockey game. Game starts at 8PM on NBC!