myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
Standing outside in the cold on January 1 doesn’t sound very appealing, but hundreds of thousands of people entered a drawing to have that opportunity. And they were willing to pay for it.
As the demand for tickets demonstrates, the NHL has found a winner in the Winter Classic.
This year’s game, the third in the series, took place in historic Fenway Park. The game featured the hometown Boston Bruins hosting the Flyers.
To call the Winter Classic a game doesn’t do it justice. It isn’t simply a game. It’s an event. In fact, at times the game appears secondary.
The atmosphere inside Fenway was incredible. The atmosphere outside was amazing as well, with Yawkey Way and Lansdowne St. (behind the Green Monster) closed off to traffic. The other streets surrounding Fenway weren’t closed to traffic, but cars moved slowly and carefully as fans of both teams filled the streets.
The NHL, which frequently is on the receiving end of blunt criticism, deserves nothing except praise for the Winter Classic. The presentation of the event was just about perfect.
I had the privilege of attending this year’s Winter Classic. The following are some observations from Fenway:
CLASSIC DUO: The honorary captains for the game were Boston’s Bobby Orr, considered by many observers to be the greatest defenseman of all-time, and the Flyers’ Bob Clarke, the diabetic kid the Flyers took a chance on, and the move paid off when Clarke developed into the team’s leader, an NHL MVP and the captain of two Stanley Cup championship teams. Having Orr and Clarke take the ceremonial opening face-off was perfect. (No, Clarke didn’t slash or spear Orr.)
COOLEST MOMENT: Aside from seeing Clarke and Orr together on the ice, the coolest moment was when the stealth bomber flew over the field just before the game. The bomber emerged silently from beyond the green monster. You didn’t hear a thing, then, all of a sudden, the plane is upon you, making no sound as it approaches.
CLASSIC FIGHT: There seemed little doubt the Flyers and Bruins would produce the first fight in Winter Classic history. Sure enough, the Flyers’ Dan Carcillo pounded the Bruins’ Shawn Thornton during the first period.
WEATHER REPORT: Despite worries caused by the weather forecasters during the days prior to the game, the weather was perfect. First, there was no rain. Second, the temperature never got warm enough to affect the ice and make playing conditions overly difficult. I didn’t even wear a hat at the game and my gloves stayed in my jacket pocket until in between the second and third periods.
FREQUENT FLYERS: Flyers fans continue to “travel well.” Tons of Flyers fans made the trek to Fenway. Although outnumbered 4:1 or 5:1, Flyers fans more than held their own as the respective fan bases chanted “Let’s Go Flyers!” and “Let’s Go Bruins!” back and forth throughout the game.
COMMON GROUND: Flyers and Bruins fans found something they could agree upon. Alternating “Let’s Go (Flyers/Bruins)!” chants were replaced with derogatory chants about the world champion New York Yankees, disliked by both Flyers and Bruins fans.
COMMON GROUND II: A similar thing happened after the NHL showed commercials on the center field video screen. The commercials featured Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who became the focus of additional negative chants shared by both Bruins and Flyers fans.
FAN FRIENDLY: The Flyers received cheers from Flyers fans every time they entered or exited via the third-base dugout. Most Flyers acknowledged the crowd in one way or another. A few players, most notably Scott Hartnell, even gave out pucks to the crowd.
LORDS OF THE RINGS: Another addition to this year’s festivities was that the United States Olympic Hockey team announced its roster shortly after the game ended.
HARD HITS: Appropriately for a baseball stadium, there was a lot of hitting during the Bruins-Flyers game. With these two blue-collar fan bases, you weren’t expecting the Ice Capades, were you?
HIGH FIVE … OR SIX!: The Flyers were irate after the referees and linesmen missed a fairly obvious too-man-men-on-the-ice penalty on the Bruins during overtime. During overtime, each team is only allowed four players plus a goalie. It appeared the at the Bruins had five – and possibly even six – players on the ice as they moved the puck from their own zone toward the Flyers’ zone and produced the winning goal in the Bruins’ 2-1 triumph.
SAME TIME NEXT YEAR: Rumors are that next season’s Winter Classic will be held in New York, at either Yankees Stadium or the one of the other new stadiums. The likely opponent would be Washington, which features exciting goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin. Other possible sites include Minnesota and Colorado.
The Winter Classic isn’t simply a game. It’s an event. It’s a spectacle.
The atmosphere was incredible. The game was terrific.
Watching the Flyers battle the Bruins outdoors at Fenway Park truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Who ever imagined that sitting out in the cold on New Year’s Day could be so much fun?