Ice, Ice, Baby...

Happy New Year!

2009 kicks off at the ice rink. I can't think of anything better! The NHL Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings will be broadcast today on NBC. Oh, and it's gonna be in freakin' HD. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't get much better than that. The ONLY way it could be better is if I actually didn't have to work today and could be at home enjoying the game with a cold Newcastle and some Lil' Smokies...but really...I think that may be asking for too much.

And where might you ask is the Winter Classic going to be held? In Wrigley Field in Chicago, I would answer. Can you believe it? An honest-to-goodness NHL game that's going to be held out-of-doors in a legendary baseball stadium in the middle of winter. It's almost like Heaven. The only thing missing will be my favorite hockey play-by-play announcer Doc Emmerick. Doc is sidelined with laryngitis. He is infamous for saying things like, "Lidstrom pitchforks it over the blue line..." The man's a Hall of Famer and a true genius.

I watched the Red Wings practice yesterday online -- they're wearing their old jerseys from when the NHL was just six teams. They've got black under their eyes to keep the sun from being a problem. They look great in their vintage wear -- like warriors. The rivalry between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings is well-established and should add to the allure of the game. And when I say 'allure' I mean that someone's gonna drop their gloves and attempt to knock some other guy's block off. Yay!

Can you think of a better way to kick off the new year?

I hope not.

Yes, for those of you traditionalists, the Tournament of Roses parade is going to be broadcast on HGTV. Ah! The lovely floats, the marching bands, and Cinderella Cloris Leachman is the Grand Marshall of the parade. You'll have to tune in to the highlights to see her. But the hockey's the thing this first day of 2009. And for those of you who just can't get enough of the ice...there's figure skating on right after the game. What would Brian Boitano do? He'd watch hockey! What a great way to kick off 2009!