Winter Classic Observations

The fifth Winter Classic had a bit of everything.

-Great goaltending due to Vezina hopeful Henrik Lundqvist, who finished with 34 saves.

-Tight checking with the first portion of the game between the Rangers and Flyers scoreless.

-Big hits, featuring a Classic record 91 from throwback rivals intent on inflicting pain- which featured 50 from our Blueshirts with Ryan Callahan (12) and Brandon Dubinsky (11) leading the way while Flyer antagonist Scott Hartnell had an unlucky 13 along with a nifty assist on Claude Giroux's goal that had the hosts up two.

-Goalscoring with the teams combining to light the lamp five times over a 13-minute span, including unlikely hero Mike Rupp's two which sparked the guests to three unanswered highlighted by Brad Richards' decider. He may not be scoring much but almost half his goals (14) have been game-winners (6).

-Comebacks with Ranger defenseman Marc Staal finally returning after missing the first 36 games with post-concussion symptoms (PCS). A year following brother Jordan Staal's return in Winter Classic IV, there was Staal replacing Jeff Woywitka on the third pair with Stu Bickel looking a bit rusty in 20 shifts over a well managed 12:41 that included 1:14 of penalty kill time where he's always shined. It'll take time for Marc to round into form. But the encouraging news is he felt fine and should be ready to make his home debut tomorrow night in an anticipated rematch with the Panthers.

-Snow with some flakes decorating Citizens Bank Park as the second period began, making it even more special like the inaugural game (Pens-Sabres) and the third at Fenway (Flyers-Bruins). Maybe there is magic when they lace 'em up for pond hockey.

-There also were questionable calls that drew the ire of winning coach John Tortorella, who couldn't fathom two in particular, including Ryan McDonagh being called for Delay Of Game for "covering up the puck" in the crease which allowed Daniel Briere a penalty shot with 19 seconds left with a chance to tie. The sophomore defenseman saved a goal with his hustle even though it looked like he never closed his hand on it- instead sliding it over for Lundqvist to cover. Be that as it may, the call was made and Briere's forehand try was denied by the Swedish star, who closed up the five-hole, ensuring victory for his first place club.

-Fireworks, which set off despite our team prevailing much to Ed Snider's chagrin along with many Philly faithful who watched as the Rangers and the fans who braved the elements celebrated in the Phillies' ballpark. You just can't make it up.

-Trash talk with Hartnell infuriated over Rupp's salute after his first goal mocking Jaromir Jagr, who unfortunately reinjured his groin and took only one shift in the second before just sitting on the Flyer bench to lend support. Of course, who could blame the orange pumpkin for getting irked over such silliness when later there he was stewing it up as the final horn sounded. Perhaps the three losses are getting to Hartnell, who acted like a baby.

-Surprising playmaking and contributions from Brandon Prust, who opted to use his hands over his fists by making not one but two perfect backhand feeds that set up Rupp's pair. John Mitchell also assisted with the tough trio a huge part of another team win.

-A great crowd with over 46,000 strong coming out for this once in a lifetime unique event that's become the NHL signature. Despite a hike in prices, the demand is there. If I had the cash, I would've coughed it up too. To those who were able to, just remember how lucky you are.

-Conspiracy theories with Tortorella wondering if the league and officials Ian Walsh and Dennis LaRue met to try to get the hotly contested game into overtime. It would've been a boon for the NHL and NBC a la the epic finish in Buffalo. Of course, Tort apologized for his commentary which included "disgusting" to sum up the third and wanting to make amends in person with both refs. Sadly, he wasn't wrong on anything he said. But it'll cost plenty.

-My favorite part was the Alumni Game with the Flyers prevailing 3-1 highlighted by ageless Bernie Parent putting the pads on one more time and making two huge saves in his classic stand up style. He only played four and a half minutes but to do that and skate off under his own power to thunderous cheers was one of the coolest things ever. And of course, Eric Lindros getting the deserved loud ovation he deserved after 11 years away. Him and Bobby Clarke sharing the ice with the former GM and all-time great supporting the Big E in one day making the Hockey Hall Of Fame. How wonderful it was to see Lindros flying down the wing to set up former Legion Of Doom 'mate John LeClair. And on the other side, we had Mark Messier and Brian Leetch along with Adam Graves turning back the clock. Sure, we only scored one with Glenn Anderson finishing off a nice pass from noted playmaker Darius Kasparaitis. But it was awesome to see guys like Mike Gartner, Darren Turcotte and Dan Blackburn, who made some sparkling saves. I love the Alumni Game and hope to one day catch one up close.

-Blocked shots with the Blueshirts dominating with 20 of a total 28, including four from Superman Dan Girardi and three apiece from Bickel and evolving Anton Stralman.


We could easily write so much more about the Classic. But just the sights and sounds were enough. Here's hoping it never goes away.

Game Preview: Rangers get ready for Flyers

Finally, the schedule picks up. Sure. Yesterday's 6-3 win over a disappointing Washington team was nice. Garden Faithful had to love the balance with just about everyone contributing, including rookie call up Carl Hagelin, who recorded his first NHL point- assisting on Brian Boyle's second of the season. In his NHL debut, Hagelin didn't look out of place alongside Boyle and ex-Leaf John Mitchell. Could this be another classic case of an overachiever? Stay tuned.

Today after 2, the Rangers return home to host the banged up Flyers. Despite injuries to Chris Pronger, Jaromir Jagr (oh well) and James van Riemsdyk, the Broad Street Bullies bring a 13-6-3 record in led by certain All-Star Claude Giroux. The orange and black are still loaded with pain in the ass Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Jakub Voracek and Calder hopeful Matt Read. In stunning news, Ilya Bryzgalov will not start for a second consecutive game with younger Russian Sergei Bobrovsky getting the call following a 3-1 home win over the Habs yesterday. Another overpaid goalie riding the pine and in Philly. Shocking. :P

If the contest spurs out of control, the Rangers don't have anyone to deal with the zany Zac Rinaldo (77 PIM). With crazy guy Andre Deveaux serving the second of a three-game suspension for elbowing Tomas Fleischmann, who thankfully was alright in Florida's 2-1 win over us on Turkey Eve, we really don't have anyone who can take on Rinaldo. That could spell doom because Rinaldo loves to run guys. Brandon Prust is just too banged up. It's a miracle he's even playing. Prusty is our ultimate warrior. I'd rather see him get some time off as he'll be important in the second half. Instead, he continues to play at less than 100 percent. Sean Avery has played well but is no match for Rinaldo. Besides, Avery's days of fighting are behind him. He's always been more of a pest anyway. Sean had a really good game Friday forechecking effectively and drawing a penalty in eight minutes.

John Tortorella plans to stick with a lineup that snapped out of a mini-slump in which it scored only two goals and lost both games. After exploding for half a dozen, who can blame him? Ruslan Fedotenko tallied twice and Artem Anismov also notched a goal as both left Brandon Dubinsky in the lonely '1' department. When will Dubi snap out of it? I know he's trying out there as I saw him working hard during yesterday's game. But he really needs to start earning that fat new paycheck. The difference between him and Ryan Callahan is two-fold as Captain Cally always busts it. In a game he had three assists, second and third efforts allowed him to get the puck to open teammates for big goals. That's why one's a leader and the other doesn't even have an 'A' despite being a key player to our chances. Dubinsky is better than this. It's time to wake up!

While the Dubi Watch continues, he's been passed on the depth chart by Derek Stepan, who more and more reminds of a young Chris Drury. D-Step just has the knack for the clutch play. He set up Marian Gaborik's team-leading 10th with a nice look away pass. The more we see the former Badger, the more it looks like he'll fulfill expectations. As long as Anisimov continues to mesh on that top line, they should remain together.

There are no changes today. Here are the lines that include a third consecutive start for Henrik Lundqvist, who despite allowing three, was on again Friday.

Anisimov-Stepan-Gaborik
Fedotenko-Richards-Callahan
Hagelin-Boyle-Mitchell
Avery-Dubinsky-Prust

McDonagh-Girardi
Del Zotto-Sauer
Woywitka-Eminger

Lundqvist
Biron

Ennis the OT hero in Sabres Game 5 win over Flyers

Just call him the most unheralded rookie of a deep crop. Tyler Ennis saved the Sabres' bacon in a pivotal Game Five, scoring the overtime winner at 5:31 to rescue his club after blowing a 3-0 lead for a gutsy 4-3 win over the Flyers at a stunned Wachovia Center. In an unpredictable series where nobody's been able to handle to win two in a row, Buffalo now leads the best-of-seven First Round 3-2 with a chance to close it out tomorrow afternoon at 3 ET at HSBC Arena.

“This is definitely a great place to play,” an excited 21 year-old Ennis said. “Any time you can silence the crowd like that, it’s an awesome feeling.”

It was his second goal of the game, which also happened to be the second of the series after being shutout the first four. For the seventh seeded Sabres, it couldn't have come at a better time, allowing them not to become another victim of the dreaded three goal lead in what's amounted to a wild opening round. If you've paid attention to these 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, no lead is safe. The Kings, Bruins, Canadiens and Rangers have all been victimized at home. If you include Nashville's late comeback over Anaheim, that's five teams that couldn't hold off determined opponents with each pulling it out in sudden death. At least the Ducks were only up one.

“I liked the fact that we were able to regroup,” noted a pleased Lindy Ruff. “I told the team that we just needed to relax. We needed to make more plays, and we did a tremendous job.”

Perhaps that's the reason so many leads have evaporated. As the veteran coach further explained in last night's postgame, teams tend to take their foot off the gas pedal and play safe. That allows teams the opportunity to come back. The Sabres took advantage of an off Brian Boucher, scoring nearly identical goals from tough angles to build a quick 2-0 lead in the first four minutes. Coincidentally, Ennis started it when he threw a harmless puck that went right through Boucher's feet at 2:24. Taking a cue from the '08 first round pick who finished the season with 49 points, leading scorer Thomas Vanek took a pass from Patrick Kaleta and intentionally shot one from behind the net off Boucher for 2-zip 87 seconds later. When rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani scored a more conventional power play goal with a perfect laser off the far post, that ended  Boucher's night.

“I’d very much like to redeem myself,” Boucher lamented. “Like I said, it was my responsibility tonight. I take ownership in that. To put your team in a hole like that, they didn’t deserve that.”

The popular Flyer netminder predictably slammed his stick when he got to the bench as 2010 hero Michael Leighton replaced him between the pipes. In doing so, the vet who got into just one game this season due to a slew of injuries, became the third different goalie in the series for Peter Laviolette. Considering that his club's also been without top defender Chris Pronger the entire first round and now lost Jeff Carter for the rest as well, it speaks to the difficulty the second seeded Atlantic champs are having.

The goalie change sparked Philadelphia. Suddenly reinvigorated, they began peppering Ryan Miller until he finally cracked. Following a controversial hand pass by leading scorer Claude Giroux that neither ref saw, the Flyers took full advantage when Andrej Mezsaros set up James van Riemsdyk for the hosts' first tally. The Old Bridge kid from New Jersey has been effective all series and got his team going. It didn't take long for Philly to slice the deficit to one when Giroux and vet Sean O'Donnell combined to feed Mezsaros for a wicked one-timer past Miller 105 seconds later. Suddenly alive, the Flyers pressed for the equalizer but Miller held them off for the time being with Buffalo nursing a one-goal lead after two.

Undeterred, the Flyers came out and got it tied thanks to a former Sabre. Danny Briere roasted his ex-team thanks to a nifty pass behind the net from Mike Richards, sneaking in front and flipping a backhand top shelf tying it 3-3 at 3:36. Ever since he departed Buffalo, Briere has killed them. It was his third of the series. Kris Versteeg also notched a helper.

With the crowd revved up, the Flyers looked for more but Miller wasn't biting. Despite giving up three straight, last year's Vezina winner was outstanding, making several sparklers en route to a game high 36 saves. That included a flat out denial of one-time Ranger Nikolay Zherdev, who was also dangerous in OT. Playing with Giroux and Van Riemsdyk, the enigmatic Russian made a couple of nice defensive plays and went to the net in search of rebounds. Two things he never did while on Broadway. While the Flyers and in particular Giroux were scary anytime he had the puck, Buffalo settled down and also began forcing Leighton to make some tough saves. For his part, Leighton played well turning aside 20 of 21 forcing overtime.

In it, both rivals went for it, making for compelling action. Miller made three saves in succession, robbing Zherdev on the doorstep and closing up with Giroux poking away. Ironically, Ennis' winner came with Zherdev out. Steve Montador kept the puck in at the right point as Zherdev pressured. However, he lost his check allowing Montador to dish across to an open Mike Weber, whose quick low shot caromed right to a trailing Ennis who buried it for a heroic Game Five win.

“We can’t hang our heads,” Briere said while alluding to the Flyers' historic comeback from 3-0 down against the Bruins. “We were in a worse position last year, so if there’s a group of guys that can do it, I believe in this group here.”

Pominville Out: It wasn't all good news for the Sabres, who lost forward Jason Pominville for the rest of the series with a right leg injury sustained during an incidental collision with a Flyer in the first.

“It doesn’t look too good for him,” Ruff said. “We’ll know more about that tomorrow.”

Goals A Plenty

How to describe last night's Blackhawk 6-5 home win over the Flyers in Game One? Unpredictably offensive. Never have I seen so many goals on such a big stage. You had to love it if you were an NBC exec. The exciting, edge of your seat opener earned the best rating in 11 years with the 2.8 turned in bringing back flashbacks of Sabres-Stars (3.7) on Fox. Heck. It was 12 percent higher than last year's Pens-Wings rematch. Sidney who?

The two traditional markets kicked off this year's Stanley Cup Final with a bang, combining for 11 goals and six lead changes with unsung hero Tomas Kopecky getting the last laugh by outwaiting Brian Boucher for the deciding marker with 11:35 left in the contest. The key sub was in for Andrew Ladd and paid huge dividends, giving Chicago its first win in the Final since 1973 when they fell in six to Montreal. Nearly two decades later, they were swept by the Super Mario Pens. Oddly enough, Pitt's Cup clincher to repeat was an identical 6-5 margin. Last night marked the first time that many goals had been scored since. Hopefully, a franchise that hasn't won Lord Stanley in 49 years will net a different result. If you didn't get enough of the goalfest, Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski has all 11 broken down.

“A lot of action. Shootout at the OK Corral,” deadpanned Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. “Things settled down as the game progressed. Certainly, I don’t think anybody envisioned 5-5 heading into the third period.”

Queeneville's deep club did it despite getting zilch from the top line of Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who went a combined minus-nine with Big Buff losing his first battle against Chris Pronger- who fared better tallying two assists, five shots, four hits, two blocked shots and finished plus-two in over 32 minutes. Despite not playing close to their best, Chicago still showed enough resiliency to pull it out thanks to big performances from Kopecky (G, A), Troy Brouwer (2-1-3), Marian Hossa (2 A) and Dave Bolland (SHG, A), Kris Versteeg (G, A) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (2 A, 4 blocked shots). The Hawks' biggest edge showed up, overcoming a four-point night from Daniel Briere (10th G, 3 A), who was the best player. With 27 seconds left in the first, he followed up his own rebound putting the Flyers ahead 3-2. Late in the second, it was his brilliant cross-ice pass to Arron Asham which tied it at five.

It still wasn't enough. The Blackhawks responded with a much better third, using their puck possession and speed to control the tempo. Eventually, it led to the winner. Thanks to an unreal diving keep by Brent Seabrook, the puck stayed in where Bolland and Versteeg combined to set up a wide open Kopecky, who calmly went around Boucher and hit the net. Great composure shown by the ex-Wing who played a whale of a game with Ladd out, also assisting on Versteeg's tally that made it 4-4 halfway through. From there, Antti Niemi shook off a poor first 40 minutes turning aside all six Flyer shots in the third, including a nice glove save on a long Briere try from 50. With Boucher pulled, a Pronger one-timer went wide as the final seconds ticked off giving an ecstatic United Center of over 22,000 strong victory.

Despite falling, the Flyers did many things well including establishing their physicality (40 hits to 37) while connecting once on four power plays while failing to take a single penalty. Though you'd definitely get some argument from the Hawk faithful. They did miss a couple. And as NBC's Doc Emrick noted, kinda odd that the road team got the only PP's. Don't expect that for Game Two tomorrow. But then again, can we really get a duplicate of the fun chaos that ensued last night? The Blackhawk stars weren't alone with the Flyers getting nothing from Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, who were a combined minus-seven. Claude Giroux wasn't any better going minus-two without a shot. Peter Laviolette's club got strong games out of Scott Hartnell (G, 2 A), Wing castaway Ville Leino (G, A), the aforementioned Briere, Pronger and Asham (G, A). Even former Ranger Blair Betts scored his first postseason goal since '06 when he rang one off the post and in from the right circle. Nice to see unless you're John Tortorella.

Not so nice was the performance of Michael Leighton, who was chased from the net after permitting five on 20 shots. Even if the last wasn't his fault, the journeyman's off day forced Laviolette to go to Boucher, who in his return since a Game Four injury versus Boston two rounds prior was solid, making 11 saves. Does the Cup experienced coach stay with him or go back to a shaky Leighton? We're banking on Bouch.
Hartnell is hoping the ice will be better.

“It’s really chippy. A lot of snow accumulates really fast, so after the first couple of minutes you don’t see those nice crisp passes and things like that. It’s hot outside and humid and stuff like that so hopefully they’ll be able to do a better job for Game 2, the ice guys.”

"It’s so hot outside, I don’t know if you could do anything about it,” echoed Versteeg while noting the difference after the first 10 minutes had been played.

“The last 10, it heats up a bit. There’s nothing they can do about it. They’re not going to change the temperature or anything like that. They’re not going to tell the people to stop screaming and opening doors.”

But as Hartnell's experienced 'mate Pronger points out, it's something he's accustomed to.

“I don’t think it’s any worse than it was in Anaheim or Carolina. As you progress in the playoffs, the ice gets a little bit softer.”
Regardless, it's the same for both sides. Let's drop the puck for Game Two!

Flyers Make History: Thirty Five Years is all it took

Who says History can't be made? It would be easy to give the Flyers all the kudos for a remarkable comeback that kinda makes up for 2004. But hey. Who are we kidding? So, without further due:

Congratulations Boston Bruins on making the wrong kind of headlines. Claude Julien. You and your Jacques Lemaire-esque system are indeed HISTORY.

Why do dinosaurs like CJ, JL and Ken Hitchcock still exist? I've echoed it many times. But in today's New NHL, no lead is ever safe. The playoffs are a different animal. Credit Philly for never giving up thanks to a good coach in Peter Laviolette who plays more aggressively. The best thing that ever happened to them was firing John Stevens. Then of course Simon Gagne playing the hero, with a Game 4 sudden death winner in his first game back from a broken bone in his right foot. Then scoring three more times, including the dramatic power play series clincher- cashing in on a Boston bench minor for too many men. You GOTTA BE KIDDING.

No Jeff Carter. No Ian Laperriere. Brian Boucher goes down. Michael Leighton returns and gives up the first three after permitting only one goal on his first 45. No problem. Laviolette calls a timeout and the Flyers regroup thanks to 21 year-old Jersey native James Van Riemsdyk, who scored the biggest goal before the end of the first that gave them life. Incredible poise shown by the rookie who hadn't done much. He saved his team. Then Scott Hartnell, Daniel Briere and Gagne did the rest. Four goals in four games for Simon, who's never played better. And Briere scoring money goals finally earning that paycheck with Carter out and Claude Giroux disappearing. An awful lot of H-E-A-R-T was shown by the guys in white, orange and black. They never gave up. If only a couple of other teams here had remembered that.

Outstanding work Philadelphia. And of course ditto for their eighth seeded opponent the Canadiens, who've slayed the Caps and Pens in seven. Btw...the Flyers' miraculous victory from three down and three back improved road teams to a perfect 4-0 in Game 7's this postseason. Remarkable. Hasan's said it plenty. Home ice just ain't the same. If you get a chance to put a team away, you better stomp on them. Boston just couldn't and were never the same after David Krejci's injury. Zero excuses. The Flyers were banged up and still got it done, making history.

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs
1975 New York Islanders
2010 Philadelphia Flyers

History Made.

A seven versus eight for the chance to play for Lord Stanley in what was believed to be a four-horse race. Somebody forgot to tell the Flyers and Canadiens, who just slipped into the playoffs the final weekend. Postseason is all about determination. Who wants it? Somewhere, the frontrunners lost their focus. This has been an extraordinary Spring. Now, we get a Conference Final nobody had unless you lived in Philly and Montreal. One will advance to meet the winner of a more traditional 1/2 between San Jose and Chicago. Great theatre.

Finally, we feel for Bruin fans. Kudos to them for continuing to support their team even when Gagne scored the fourth unanswered. They did their part, trying to rally their team. Unfortunately, the fans at TD Garden suffered the same cruel fate those at the old Stadium did six years ago to a Boston team. Irony. The fans have to be incredibly disappointed. Hey. At least ya still got the Celtics!

Halak, Habs oust champs, Flyers on verge of history

Sometimes, things live up to their billing. Such was the case tonight with two stunners taking place. First, the Canadiens backstopped by Jaroslav Halak (37 saves) eliminated the defending champion Penguins 5-2 in Game Seven- advancing to the franchise's first Conference Final since they last won the Cup in 1993. Another improbable run led by Patrick Roy. The eighth seeded Habs have now ousted both the President's Trophy winning Caps and Pens in deciding games on the road. While they didn't have to win three straight, this time they had to contend with a more experienced/better overall team. To accomplish what they have is remarkable. Kudos to Mike Cammalleri, who added to his postseason-leading goal total with No.12. Brian Gionta was equally great, tallying twice including just 32 seconds in to set the tone. Camms and Gio combined for 12 of the Habs' markers in the series.

More stunning was how well Hal Gill on one leg played after missing Game Six. The heart he demonstrated going back out there to lead his new team past the one he won with is something to behold. That's what it takes. It was nice to see the big guy prove us wrong. How about Scott Gomez netting two assists and playing to capability. Guess Bob Gainey wasn't so crazy reuniting Gomer and Gio after all. We'll take our crow barbecued to a crisp. There's only so much one can say about Halak, who made a huge stop on Sidney Crosby early in the third to thwart the Pens rally. The man was simply sensational, putting together some of the best goaltending since Giguere and Roy. Who says he can't keep it up?

They still don't know who they'll face. That's because the Flyers simply refuse to go home quietly. They have now rallied from an 0-3 hole to tie the series against Boston. Michael Leighton was terrific in his first playoff start holding the struggling B's to one late Milan Lucic tally with a minute left before the Flyers held on to win their third in a row. Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere came through for the home team, who now see the same light the Red Sox saw against the Yankees. Just the dejected looks on Boston's side as they exited told the story. Can Claude Julien and his leadership of Chara, Savard and Recchi possibly restore order for Friday? Or are the Flyers 35 years after the Islanders did it to the Pens destined to make history. It looks like it's going to be tough and not so much for the orange and black.

Finally, it's amazing to think that in a seven-game series, Crosby and Malkin combined for only two goals. It's a credit to how determined Jacques Martin's scrappy bunch were taking away passing and shooting lanes while limiting time and space. But we also saw both superstars pressing in a flat first that saw neither register a shot while both made uncharacteristic errors we're not accustomed to seeing. Sid was in the box for Gionta's early PPG for a mistimed rough. Malkin had several mystifying giveaways on power plays, passing up great opportunities to shoot. Though they combined for 11 shots the final 40, neither really distinguished themselves.

Stunning stuff in Pittsburgh on what became Mellon Arena's final night. Kudos to the fans who stayed and gave their team a nice salute as did the disappointed former champs. Thumbs down to the ones who left early. Especially on The Igloo's final day. A Cup winner that reached two straight Finals and delivered so many bright stars and some left. Unbelievable.

A great night for hockey regardless. Eye opening to say the least.

Bruins edge Flyers in Winter Classic Finish

The 3rd Annual NHL Winter Classic did not disappoint at prestigious Fenway Park. In a battle of old rivals, the Boston Bruins rallied back to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 before nearly 40,000 screaming fans at the great ballpark on Yawkey Way. History was made as the B's became the first home team to win the signature even on New Year's Day. In the inaugural played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, the Sabres fell to Sid The Kid and the Pens in a shootout. Last year in the Windy City, the Blackhawks came up short to the Red Wings at Wrigley Field.

It looked like the visitors would go three-for-three. Michael Leighton looked on his way to a second straight shutout. But a late power play goal from wily vet Mark Recchi and Marco Sturm's overtime winner gave the home supporters plenty to cheer in what amounted to the best of the three Classics to date. With apologies to Sidney Crosby for that glorious skill comp winner in the snow, watching Sturm win it in more conventional fashion was better. There's something about seeing a player score in OT as opposed to the more scripted gimmick where it's decided by a one-on-one. In today's game, we don't get enough of those cool celebrations. Even with four-on-four, a majority have needed the gimmick. So, it was cool to see Patrice Bergeron thread the needled to an open Sturm for a nifty tip past Leighton for the decider 1:57 into the extra five. Plus the celebration with the proud German slamming the glass before being mobbed by teammates was great on what amounted to a perfect winter day in Beantown.

The weather held up with ideal conditions as temps ranged from 28-35, thankfully minus rain with plenty of cloud cover. It was classic pond hockey for a bunch of paid pros playing a game they remember as kids. That's what makes this event so special. It's hockey in its purest form. Outdoors in all the elements. A big thanks must go out to Larry Lucchino for agreeing to host such a game. Just seeing the background of the Green Monster along with the mini rink on the side where kids skated was pretty damn jaw dropping. They did a fantastic job putting this together. A huge thank you to all the maintenance who worked so hard to get this thing ready. Hockey ain't done there either. There's also a college double header featuring BU vs BC on the men's side.

While it's true the first couple of periods weren't on the edge, it definitely picked up in the third, elevating for a memorable finish. Still, just getting to see two legends on each side greet their players as they were introduced was priceless. There was Bobby Clarke wearing the Flyer 'C' along with a few boos smirking as he skated up to meet old rival Bobby Orr for the ceremonial puck drop. One of the coolest aspects. Two of the greatest players who each led their team to a pair of Cups side by side, yucking it up. One arguably the best to ever play the sport. Ask my Dad or any of our older generation and the nod goes to Orr or Gordie Howe over Gretzky, Lemieux and Messier. Makes for a great bar debate.

Even if one of the most well known bloggers didn't care for a vast majority of a hard fought game, how could you not love that scrap between Daniel Carcillo and Shawn Thornton? Another Classic first as the two combatants dropped the gloves 8:01 in with the mustached Carcillo (ode to 70's Flyers) getting the decision by landing a clean right to drop Thornton. Class was shown as he immediately backed off and allowed the Bruins' enforcer to get up with each sending New Year's greetings. Good stuff.

Neither side scored in a tactical first which saw the clubs feel each other out. After the Bruins held a 9-6 SOG edge, the second was all Flyers. They entered riding a four-game win streak, aiming to go five-for-five on a six-game road trip. Like they had in the 6-0 Ranger trouncing, the Flyers played solid in front of Leighton not giving an anemic Boston offense much. If scoring was a strength last year, it's certainly not this time around as they are feeling the effects of no more Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic remains out. So much for making it back for the big game at Fenway.

With the B's unable to mount a consistent attack, the Flyers generated off their forecheck, forcing Team USA selection Tim Thomas to make some good saves. If not for the rating Vezina winner, it might've been ugly. Especially in a period where Philly doubled up Boston in shots (12-6). However, they were only able to beat Thomas once when Danny Syvret got his first NHL goal, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 4:42. Off some nice work by Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter, Syvret was able to beat the Boston netminder with a low shot through traffic. Leading by one, the Flyers also got the only power play in the first 40 but failed to cash in with Zdeno Chara in the box. There were some close calls but a scrambly Thomas kept them out. His play gave the B's a chance.

Thru two, Claude Julien's guys had totaled just 15 shots. The Flyers themselves had 18 but a cool dozen in the second and were far more aggressive. During intermission, he emphasized one missed chance in particular where Marc Savard passed to Thornton instead of shooting. Apparently, his team got the message quickly testing Leighton early, including a harmless shot from the outside that snuck through his legs and just off the right post. All day, players finished checks giving us the kind of hockey we see in the playoffs. In the third, the intensity picked up with alternate "Let's Go Bruins," and "Let's Go Flyers" chants in the stands. Feeding off the energy, each side came even harder. It opened up as a more desperate home team searched for the equalizer. That led to a couple of odd-man rushes. One in which Carter was set up perfect by Briere but couldn't finish it, narrowly missing wide with Thomas outstretched in the crease. The other was blocked.

With the B's coming close to tying as the minutes got into single digits, it was only a matter of time before they found an opening. With Chara driving the net, they nearly tied it but wound up with a power play when Kimmo Timonen hauled him down. The Flyers killed a good chunk but couldn't hold them off when some great passing allowed Recchi to tie it with 2:18 left. The play was started by Team Canada selection Patrice Bergeron, who dished across for Derek Morris. Morris then worked a textbook give-and-go with David Krejci, before firing a shot pass to Recchi in front for a neat redirect to a thunderous ovation. Tie game!

Urged on by the crowd, the Bruins drew another power play when Briere took down another player with 46 ticks left in regulation. To Philly's credit, they killed it off including the remaining 1:14 when it became 4-on-3. Hell. The Bruins almost turned it over at the blueline for what would've been a clean shorthanded breakaway for Mike Richards. Instead, the teams skated four-on-four each going for broke. The Flyers again came close but Thomas said no.

The winner came when Bergeron spun around Richards and then skated down the left wall before firing in front for Sturm, who deflected it home for his club-leading 14th- touching off a nice celebration that included fireworks. Chara started it, also drawing an assist. Just an outstanding play by Bergeron, who's bounced back in a big way with 11 goals and 20 helpers for a team best 31 points to make Canada. Last year, he returned from a concussion playing in 64 games with eight goals and 31 assists totaling 39 points.

Amazing to think that at only 24, he's already in his sixth season. Bergeron was in the same great '03 class as Team USA's Zach Parise, Carter, Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, MA Fleury, E. Staal, Thomas Vanek, Dion Phaneuf, Dustin Brown, Ryan Kesler, Nathan Horton, Milan Michalek, Brent Seabrook, Ryan Suter, Braydon Coburn and Brent Burns. If you're a Ranger or Islander fan, duck and cover. Bergeron wasn't taken till 45th overall with gems Loui Eriksson and Shea Weber also slipping while somehow Joe Pavelski fell to Round 7. Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom went in the eighth round! Jaroslav Halak in Round 9. Rather than focus on the obvious, it's nice to see Bergeron back healthy and returning to form.

Congrats to the B's on a thrilling comeback that moves them temporarily within three of the Sabres, who also play tonight hosting the Thrashers at the bottom of the hour.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Patrice Bergeron, Bos (assist, 3 SOG, hit, takeaway, 7-10 draws, +1 in 18:05)
2nd Star-Tim Thomas, Bos (24 saves incl.11/12 in 2nd)
1st Star-Marco Sturm, Bos (Winter Classic OT winner, 3 SOG in 17:29)