Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of today’s pond shinny with Chicago from Vogs (and again, plus game notes), CSNW (video), NBC4, NHL.com, AP, WaPo, and Peerless, and check out our SB Nation pals over at Second City Hockey for the other side of today’s match-up.
- Brooks Orpik is most likely out, probably, but just maybe he’s in, depending. It’s his call, and he’ll know, and we’ll know, after warmups… [WaPo]
- … and if he plays, he’ll join Brad Richards and Daniel Carcillo in the “Four Outdoor Games” Club. [Puck Daddy]
- Michal Rozsival is returning to the Chicago lineup after missing the last two games with a lower body injury. [ESPN-C]
- The Caps’ power play has had its share of troubles lately, and now comes Chicago, with the League’s best penalty kill. [WaPo, Rink]
- The Event:
- How the NHL came to own New Year’s Day… [WaPo]
- … and why the Winter Classic still matters. [Yahoo! Sports]
- Buzz Buzz Buzz. [The Fourth Period]
- The Venue:
- Building America’s Hockey Capitol. The finished time-lapse video of Nats Park getting its hockey on. [NHL.com, WaPo]
- A wand. 20,000 gallons of water. And an ice magician. [WaPo]
- Y’know what’s gonna look really great? The teams skating side-by-side down the “Reflecting Pool” to enter the rink, that’s what. [Puck Daddy]
- Also, snowflake faceoff dots. [RMNB]
- How Caps equipment manager Brock Myles and his crew transform a baseball clubhouse into a hockey dressing room. [ESPN, NHL.com]
- The Teams:
- The Caps are trying to minimize the distractions of playing host to family, friends, and a national viewing audience… [Puck Daddy, NHL.com]
- … while the Hawks can concentrate on bonding and being emulatable and stuff. [ESPN, NHL.com]
- Both teams enter the Winter Classic arena playing some decent hockey… [NHL.com]
- … mirror images of each other along the Road. [THW]
- The Players:
- How you’ve grown, Alex Ovechkin … [USA Today, NHL.com, WaPo, PHT]
- … “oh, and all those bad things I was gonna write about Ovi? I just found out I can’t and here’s why.” [Red Eye Chicago]
- Hardworking Braden Holtby is working hard. [NHL.com]
- Mike Green is… fitting in. [ESPN]
- Jay Beagle – top line Right Wing and official blogger of the People’s Winter Classic. [NHL.com]
- Joel Ward has learned the hazards of having one’s picture plastered all over the public transportation system, especially when one is pretty much wearing only a toque and some murky “lake” water. [FTW]
- Expectations much? Eric Fehr had a pair of quite memorable goals… exactly four years ago today. [WaPo]
- Karl Alzner , trendsetter. [Puck Daddy, CSNC]
- The post-pracky family skate was a little bit amazing. [RMNB (and again)]
- The Executives:
- In general:
- [Monumental video (Caps take the ice, Capital Report, Leonsis, Trotz, Ovechkin, Alzner, Brouwer, Green, Latta, Wilson, Schmidt, Ward, Rinkside Update/Backstrom)
- Transcript of Coach Trotz’s media availability remarks. [DSP]
- The Sun Monster:
- It doesn’t matter.
- But do dress warmly. [Ted’s Take]
- The Swag:
- Best and Worst. (Spoiler: Caps best, Hawks worst). [Puck Daddy]
- Cake swag from Duff Goldman. [NHL.com]
- Finally, The Wayback Machine:
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Four years ago we posted this: Saturday Caps Clips: Caps @ Pens Game Day
- And four years plus one day ago we posted this: Sunday Caps Clips: A Winter’s Classic
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