Your savory breakfast links:
- All the Winter Classic news you could ever want… and a bit more after that:
- It’s been a long wait, with plenty of distractions, but the Caps and ‘Hawks are just about ready to take this thing outside. [PressboxDC, Talk the Red, CP, Chicago Sun-Times, The Sports Bank]
- Of course, that wait might be a little longer if that pesky sun monster decides to turn up and postpone the festivities. [WaPo, CSNW]
- We are monumentally pumped up!! (See what we did there?) [Rink]
- The ice, it is ready. [CSNW, WashTimes]
- It’s not all about Alex… but it’s not not all about Alex, either. [Sportsnet]
- These two franchises have come a long way over the last decade, and their meeting in the Winter Classic – in DC – is a reminder of just that. [Sportsnet, DailyHerald]
- Last night’s episode of the EPIX series Road to the Winter Classic featured Christmas celebrations, big wins, frustrating losses… and eight kinds of herring. Relive it all. [Rink, NHL.com, DSP]
- Get a little extra footage with a look at how each of the goalie masks for the Classic were made. [Monumental video]
- Ted Leonsis asked for this game. He begged for this game. He waited for this game. And now he’s ready for this game. [Rolling Stone]
- Also ready for this game? Eric Fehr, aka the guy who scored two goals the last time the Caps appeared in a Winter Classic. [WashTimes]
- Bask in a plethora of pictures:
- Day One. [Monumental, Caps OT]
- The Journey: Hockey on a Baseball Field. [Monumental]
- Behind the scenes. [Caps OT (Peters’ mask, change room stalls, Holtby’s locker, practice jersey), ESPN (and again)]
- Current and former players alike are embracing the nostalgia and remembering a simpler time when all they did was skate outside. [NHL.com, WaPo, CSN Chicago,
- A day before the big boys took to the ice, the media, Caps alumni and some other VIPs got to test it out with a scrimmage. We see you in that Pens jersey, Brent Johnson… [Monumental video, Sportsnet, CSNW, RMNB]
- If you thought Jason Chimera wasn’t going to have something to say about those Joel Ward Winter Classic ads, you’re crazy. [DSP]
- The Caps might want to keep an eye on Kris Versteeg tomorrow – he has a tendency to score at these things. [Red Eye Chicago]
- The hockey hasn’t always been great overall, but each of the six Winter Classics has had at least one great, memorable or defining moment. [Puck Daddy (video), Sportsnet]
- And after six years, Doc Emrick still loves every minute of every one of them. [NHL.com, WaPo]
- The NHL’s in-game entertainment will pay tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces, by way of a group of performers that is… um, diverse? Diverse. That works. [NHL.com, WaPo, Puck Daddy]
- We may be rockin’ the red in the stands, but this year’s Winter Classic will be green. [NHL.com]
- Washingtonians, rejoice! There will be no meters – I repeat, no meters – on the streets around Nationals Park on New Year’s Day. [WTOP]
- Help Barry Trotz pick out the perfect ensemble for his Winter Classic debut! [RMNB]
- Five fast facts about the game. [Heavy.com]
- John Walton takes a look back at the 2011 Winter Classic as we look forward to tomorrow’s game in your Morning Drive. [Capitals Voice]
- Check out Elliotte Friedman’s always great 30 Thoughts, where we find out just what George McPhee has been doing to stay busy. NOOOOOOOOO! [Sportsnet]
- Hockey in DC hasn’t always been a huge draw – that it has become one is primarily due to the arrival of the guy who wears #8. [NHL.com]
- The Caps are proving to be more than the “one-trick pony” they once were. [NHL.com]
- Looking at why Jaromir Jagr would be a great fit for the Caps. [Stars and Sticks]
- News and notes from the team’s last practice at Kettler before the Classic:
- In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Ovechkin, Carlson, Green, Fehr, Laich, Holtby, Backstrom)]
- As amazing as it sounds, Brooks Orpik‘s injury may not be as bad as it looked and he will be a game-time decision tomorrow. [Monumental video (Orpik), NHL.com, AP, WaPo, CSNW, WashTimes]
- If he can’t go, the Caps will likely call up Steve Oleksy – and he’s ready for his shot at Winter Classic duty if needed. [Patriot-News]
- Tom Wilson and Michael Latta interview each other, Justin Peters and some shaving cream make a surprise appearance, and magic happens. [ESPN (video), Caps OT]
- Year in review:
- A look back at the top ten stories (or in some cases, “stories”) around the Caps over the last 12 months. [Rink]
- 14 numbers that helped define hockey in 2014. Good *twitches* list *twitches* [NHL.com]
- The 10 greatest hockey fights of 2014. [Puck Daddy]
- The year in DMV sports. Get your ulcer meds ready for this one. [CSNW]
- After just missing the cut last year, Caps’ prospect Madison Bowey is showing off his skills at both ends of the ice for Team Canada at the World Juniors. [CP]
- The Caps once got former NHL referee Paul Stewart in trouble over his uniform after he made a bad call against them… which is a very weird type of vengeance, but okay. [Hockeybuzz]
- Happy 59th birthday to Gary McAdam.
- And finally, to all of you wonderful people who stop by all year long, here’s wishing you a happy, healthy and safe new year from all of us here at Japers’ Rink!