UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem: LESNAR RETIRES!

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
(7:15 p.m. MT) Let's face it, Brock Lesnar did not look good in his title defense against Cain Valasquez. His battles outside of the octagon with diverticulitis raises even more doubt in his ability to come away with the win over a guy the size of Alistair Overeem. PREDICTION: Overeem makes good on his prediction and knocks out Lesnar in the second.

ANALYSIS: Brock cuts Overeem with a jab to start the first round. Overeem lands a strong kick to the ribs that sends Brock to the canvass. Overeem continuously lands blows as Brock turtles. Yamasaki calls the fight. Overeem wins via first round TKO. Lesnar looks terrible. LESNAR RETIRES!

Brock Lesnar did great things for the heavyweight division but this is a good decision for him. Unfortunately Brock just doesn't have the standing game to compete with Dos Santos, Valasquez, or Overeem. Speculation is already looming that he may return to the WWE but who knows. All the best to Brock in the future. Can't wait to see Overeem vs. Dos Santos!

Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz
(7:20 p.m. MT) Really excited for this fight. Going to be a slug fest the whole way. Tough to say who wins as both Cerrone and Diaz have proved that they both can finish fights but where as Diaz has the attitude, Cerrone has the overall skill. PREDICTION: Cerrone wins unanimous decision, both fighters leave battered and bruised.

ANALYSIS: Both fighters come out swinging hard. Cerrones swinging wildly while Diaz is dialing his strikes in and landing nearly all of his punches. Cerrone is just eating shots over, and over and over again. Joe Rogan claims that Cerrone's jaw is broken as it bleeds. Second round starts off with Cerronne knocking down Diaz twice and landing some pretty good shots.Cerrone repeatedly sends Diaz down with sweeping leg kicks. Diaz gives Cerrone the double middle finger before the third round begins. Diaz continues to land shots over and over again. Cerrone sweeps his legs twice but doesn't mount. Both fighters trade blows as the round comes to a close. Both fighters look exhausted but Cerrone looks hurt. Diaz wins via unanimous decision.

Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks
(7:35 p.m. MT) Haven't watched Fitch or Hendricks fight in a long time but going off of what I know, this should be a be a great fight. Look to see Fitch taking this fight to the ground and trying to control Hendricks along the cage while Hendricks looks to counter quickly with strikes. If Hendricks catches Fitch it could be over quick. PREDICTION: Still, I think Fitch's ground game is too good. Fitch wins via submition.

ANALYSIS: WOW!! Hendricks nails Fitch with a hook that sends him to the ground. Mazzagatti jumps on Fitch to call the fight at 12 seconds!!

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
(7:40 p.m. MT) I really like Gustafsson in this one. Matyushenko is good but Gustafsson is better, younger and stronger. Should be quick. PREDICTION: Gustafsson wins via first-round knock-out.

ANALYSIS: Nailed it. Gustafsson knocks out Matyushenko in the first round (2:13 TKO). Looks in control the entire time throwing numerous headkicks before catching Matyushenko with a stiff jab coming in. Gustafsson gets on top swinging and the ref forced to call it off.

Jim Hettes vs. Nam Phan
(7:45 p.m. MT) I like Nam Phan, his name alone gives me enough confidence to pick him. I know nothing about Jimmy 'The Kid' but I know he's unbeaten and who am I to pick against him now? PREDICTION: 'The Kid' wins via split decision.

ANALYSIS: The Kid starts off strong, sweeping Nam Phan to the ground, pounding on his face and going for countless submitions. An ambar attempt turned ground and pound left Nam Phan bloodied as the round ends. Second round is much of the same as Hettes controls Nam Phan on the ground and drops bombs from and goes for numerous submitions, The Kid is relentless. In the third Nam Phan begins to land some shots from the standing position but again Hettes takes the fight to the ground and beats Nam Phan relentlessly. Very impressive.
Jimmy 'The Kid' Hettes wins via unanimous decision... I was close.

Nailing Hemmer to the cross

Despite being known as one of the leagues most dynamic offensive players it looks as if Ales Hemsky's injury-prone history, poor start to the seaosn and seemingly poor attitude towards media will see him shipped out of Edmonton come trade deadline day (Monday, Feb. 27).

Earlier this week Hemsky abruptly cut short a media scrum involving the Edmonton Journal's and Hall of Fame sports writer, Jim Matheson. Matheson has always been a stark supporter of Hemsky but like the fans, his attitudes towards Hemmer have soured.

In his latest column/blog, Matheson is spot on in saying that Hemsky "absolutely has to be a leader at a time when the Oilers are teetering on being a playoff possibility or falling out."

SEE: (http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/12/28/hemsky-is-doing-himself-no-favours/)

Ales says his shoulders are fine. I doubt that. I doubt they ever will be. And it's this injury speculation that further drives trade speculations in the media.

It's about selling papers

I understand Hemsky COULD be traded and that he MIGHT not sign a favourable contract with the Oilers upon seasons end, but it's not our job to speculate and it's certainly not our job to bring up speculations with players.

But somewhere along the line this is what sports reporting has become. More of a tabloid, celebrity-style of news telling.

Will Ales Hemsky get traded? Most likely, but the trade deadline is two months away. What if he puts up 20 points in 15 games? What if he turns the page? What if, what if, what if.

We could speculate what the return on his trade would be but do we know? No. We could speculate whether he will or will not re-sign at the end of the year for less than what he's making now (surely he can't demand more), but we don't know.

Let him play his game

I look at Hemsky and I see (a less strong) Marian Hossa in Chicago. Once a first line star turned second-liner but still an integral piece to the Blackhawks winning the cup behind Toews, Kane and Sharp (or in Edmonton's case RNH, Eberle, Hall.)

If Hemsky were to train his body this summer (I hear Gary Roberts has a fantastic training program, wink, wink), build some muscle and return to putting up 60-70 points a year alongside the kids than this Oilers team has a legitimate shot at going places.

The Oilers need some help on the back-end before that will ever become a reality but unless a trade with Hemsky can warrant a strong d-man in return (which most would agree he wouldn't) than why trade him?

There's no way Tambellini gets a Dustin Penner-style return and the Oilers really have no one to replace Hemsky (Omark, maybe). Perhaps a package of picks and Sam Gagner could warrant a stronger return? But who knows?

Again, it's all speculation.

Trading Hemsky seems like the right thing to do and for all I know it is. But mark my words, if he moves onto another team and lights it up the following season or even in the latter stages of this season, Oilers fans will cry foul, and it will do nothing but turn that scrutinizing speculation to Tambellini or Renney or maybe, God forbid, the media for pushing out another otherwise talented player to succeed elsewhere.

Now where have we heard that story?

All aboard the concussion train

It's disconcerting. The amount of concussions being reported in wake of improved diagnosis and increased awareness is exactly what is needed to keep professional athletes from seriously damaging their lives upon retiring from playing the game they love.

It's a tough balancing act for a fan. Nobody wants to see their favourite stars turned into vegetables but it's getting to the point where players are dropping left, right and centre.

SEE: (USA TODAY: Concussion tracker: http://travel.usatoday.com/gallery/NHL+concussion+tracker/G2848)

Fans are witnessing the berth of a new era in NHL history where iron-man streaks like Martin St. Louis's 499 straight games will become a thing of the past.

It's not as if players are being knocked out and put on the shelf for as long as Sidney Crosby has. Ottawa's Milan Michalek returned to action last night against the Montreal Canadiens after missing only five games with a a concussion.

Same thing goes for Claude Giroux who missed four games with a concussion before returning to the Flyers' lineup in star-studded fashion netting four points in a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars.

God knows how long Shea Weber will be out for but the question I ask is how long will concussion related injuries be front-page, top headline news before it becomes accepted as just another part of the game?

An unfortunate part, of course, but given the amount of concussions we've seen and the talks I've had and read with former NHLers who admit to having an upwards of 10 concussions in their career, it seems as if this injury has been and always will be commonplace.

According to NextGen Journal: "In the NHL only 17% of concussions result from illegal hits to the head. In fact, most of the concussions in the NHL, about 70%, result from either legal hits or accidents."

(SEE: http://nextgenjournal.com/2011/12/toughness-vs-the-brain-concussions-in-professional-sports/)

The players need to be protected to ensure that they live fulfilling lives after hockey but the risk of injury is the exact reason why they're compensated so much salary-wise. Face it, there is no reason why an athlete should be making millions of dollars other than the threat to their health.

So let them make up their minds. Let them govern themselves on the ice. The NHL will do what they can to limit the amount of dirty hits but eliminating concussions is impossible. Simply impossible.

Oilers Trade Talks

Ohhhh trade deadline day. This day single handily employs hockey analysts for the year. The amount of banter kicked back and forth between pundits and so-called experts could fill far more than the three hour slot that TSN gives its TradeCentre segment. Hell why not start up a NHL 24 hour all-speculation channel.

I have no intention on joining those men but the trade deadline is part of the NHL season and it's an extremely important day for general managers. In the case of Oilers GM Steve Tambellini the choice of being a buyer or a seller is a difficult one. Is it right to unload Hemsky and Penner now or can they be integral veterans involved in the rebuild process? Unless moving one of them means getting back a top five pick or an impact player then it's simply not worth it.

Let's address the teams needs.

• Defense
• bottom 6 forwards
• Centre with face-off skills

Defense

First off, how much is this team missing Ryan Whitney right now? I will argue A LOT! Without Whitney this defense is considerably worse. But what about the rest? Gilbert, Smid, Vandermeer, Petry, Peckham, Strudwick, and Foster; out of the seven Petry and Peckham are the lone two untouchables. As far as I'm concerned Gilbert and Smid are too soft with not enough offensive upside, if you can move them for another veteran than do it! Vandermeer and Strudwick are two veterans that could be useful to a cup contender. Foster is not untouchable but has not done enough offensively to get a decent return, he has not met expectations. Souray is useless and I could care less what happens to him, nuff said.

Bottom six forwards/Centre

Speaking of not meeting expectations Colin Fraser has not panned out. I doubt he will be moved but most certainly replaced in the offseason. Untouchables include Jones, Omark and Pajaarvi. Because gritty bottom six forwards are hard to trade for I expect the Oilers to excersice patience and instead rely on the progression of young players like Lander, O'Marra, Hamilton, Vande Velde and Hartikainen. Again Oiler fans, patience is key.

To be honest I have no clue what the Oilers will do, nobody in the media really knows anything concrete about what Tambo will do. I only hope that he doesn't give in to the ramblings of harsh critics like Robert Tychkowski, who has already lost his patience after 3/4's of a season (see THIS), and trades away Hemsky and Penner in a Ryan Smyth type deal. I understand what your saying but at the same time, calm down Robert. Not everyone is saying 'Oh well', maybe you are but I assure you Oiler management is not. I have tons of confidence in Tambo and his ability to build a winning team in the future. Again, patience is the key, however, if the Oilers at the bottom of the league this time next season, my patience may run thin.

Blake Griffin is a Beast

Blake Griffin has single handily turned me into a Clippers fan. The guy is straight-up one of the most entertaining players in the league right now. Kobe, Lebron/Wade/Bosh (HA! he wishes), Durant, and Griffin. These guys get fans out of their seats in a hurry and they do it on a nightly basis.

I'm always astounded at how a man at 6'10, 251 lb can run and spin like Griffin does. The majority of power forwards aren't of that athletic calibre. This guy is fast! Watch how quickly the man moves up and down the court before slamming a dunk on some poor defenders face! I'm not calling out other PF's in the league but come on, admit it, this guy is boss.

After his injury last season I admit I thought he was going to be a bust. But man oh man was I proved wrong. With Baron Davis making a comeback and fresh off a 16 assist game against the Knicks the Clippers are gaining notoriety across the league despite their current 20-32 record. Can't wait to see how many other defenders get "posterized" by Griffin this season and hopefully next year into the playoffs. Go Clippers!

Cooke v. Tyutin

Upon seeing this hit two different and opposing thoughts surfaced in the vacant space I call my brain.

1. Matt Cooke just may be the dirtiest player in the NHL. Why the hell didn't he let up? He saw nothing but numbers and a nameplate but he went for it anyways. What a goof!
2. And, why didn't Fedor Tyutin press his body against the boards like any and every hockey player has been taught to do? If you're against the boards with your back turned, you can NOT leave that much room between you and the boards.

In no way am I blaming Tyutin for this hit, Cooke should have let up, but it's been said that the players must do more to protect themselves. This is a textbook case.

So Cooke gets four games, good. At the same time players must take note that leaving yourself in a vulnerable position is there own responsibility.

NFL Wildcards; NHL Suspensions/Extensions

Eagles vs. Packers
As I am writing this Michael Vick just threw what will be his most forgettable play of the year. Down by five. Forty-five seconds left, clocks running. Ball at 30 yard line, the ball is thrown, INTERCEPTION. Brutal.

With tons of time for the Eagles to get two or maybe even three plays off Vick sees a man in the end-zone and he's covered man-to-man. It's tempting, tempting enough for Vick to gamble the game away. Can you blame him? The man wants to win and in those types of situations its all or nothing. You either make the pass and become the hero or screw it up, throw the INT and become the goat.

Vick's season has been a great story and I commend the man for his play on field and his attitude off the field. It's a bad end to a great season. Good job to the Packers and to Aaron Rodgers, who didn't throw for more than 200 yards but his three TD passes make up for that and then some. To go into Philly and silence the crowd is huge. Really starting to like Rodgers, classy guy. Great game.

Chiefs vs. Ravens

When the Chiefs came out of the first quarter in the lead I thought that we could have ourselves another upset here. But the Ravens are proving they are no joke, specifically Joe Flacco. Flacco finished the game 25/34, with 265 yards and two TD passes.

What a game for Flacco and what a disappointment for Matt Cassel. In his first playoff start Cassel was unable to get anything done against arguably the best defense in the league. Its never easy to move the ball against Ray Lewis and co. but after Jamaal Charles ran for the games first TD I honestly thought that maybe an established running game could open things up for Cassel. 9/18, 70 yards, and three INT's later and Cassel's first playoff game quickly goes from hopeful to disappointing.

All credit has to be given to the Ravens offense who controlled the ball and therefore controlled the game. Ravens time of possession: 41:44 minutes, Chiefs time of possession: 18:16. The Ravens never gave the Chiefs defense a moments rest, they looked tired and defeated. Watch out Steel Town, the Ravens mean business.

Seahawks/Saints; Jets/Colts
As for the previous two games I was fighting one of the worst snow storms Edmonton has seen in awhile on my way to work when the Seattle/Saints game began. Its hard to comment on a game I never watched but all I can say is WOW. Did not see that coming. Good on Pete Carrol and Matt Hasselbeck, they showed some true character.

I did get to listen to the games on the radio and when the Saints went up 10-0 I figured the Seahawks stood no chance. The crowd fell silent and that's a victory all in itself. Give the Seahawks credit for getting the TD on the following drive and waking everybody up. From there the offense took off. Marshawn Lynch only ran for one touchdown but what a run! Couple that with Hasselbeck's four TD passes and you've got a formula that can take down the champs.

Brees played exceptionally well in the losing effort, throwing the ball 60 times and completing 39 of those attempts for over 400 yards. Not much more he could have done.

The Jets/Colts match-up was hardly the offensive shootout I had expected. The Jets' defense was expecting a heavy dose of Peyton Manning, instead the Colts limited his attempts to under 30 and that resulted in Manning throwing one single touchdown pass. Rather than throwing the ball the Colts were determined to run the ball right at the Jets' defense, rushing the ball for a total of 27 attempts between Joseph Addai and Domenic Rhodes for a combined total of 93 yards.

The Jets did the same. They used their six minutes of added possession time to run the ball 38 times, including one QB scramble by Mark Sanchez and two rushing attempts from WR Brad Smith for a combined total of 169 yards. Sanchez threw one interception and zero touchdown passes. Definitely not his best performance but hey, they got it done, but if the Jets intend to beat the Patriots they're going to need a better performance from Sanchez.

NHL Quick Hits

• Atlanta Thrashers forward and recent Stanley Cup Champion Ben Eager has been suspended four games for his sucker punch on Colby Armstrong. All I got to say is, why? Why did Eager feel the need to first face-wash Armstrong and then when he's not expecting it, cheap shot him with a punch straight to the eye? See it for yourself--->CLICK HERE
• Calgary Flames forward Tom Kostopoulos has been given a six-game suspension for his reckless blindside hit on Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart. I hate this hit. Stuart doesn't even have the puck and Kostopoulos takes a huge run at him. Again, why? The hit sees Kostopoulos' shoulder hit Stuart's face square on and sends Stuart flying! Almost literally! Reckless, needless play from otherwise tough but good player. See it for yourself---> CLICK HERE
• The Los Angeles Kings have inked defenseman Jack Johnson to a seven-year, 30.5 million dollar contract extension. The dollar amount is reasonable and hopefully this doesn't interfere with getting fellow stud blue liner Drew Doughty signed in the off-season. Most likely won't but weirder things have happened.
  

Both Pictures provided by TSN: Kostopoulos; Rodgers

Canada implodes, Russia wins Gold

The one thing about being involved in the service industry, particularly the bar scene, is that you're almost guaranteed to have to work the big ticket events. Last night was one of those nights. There I was along with five other cooks in downtown Edmonton preparing bar grub for a rabid group of Canadian hockey fans. Listening to guys from the FAN 590, Dan Dunleavy and Jack Miller who are by far two of the best hockey announcers going. We were all anticipating the best. Gold, and nothing less.

For the most part the night was great, the food was flying out and the crowd was drinking it up and having a great time watching Canada dominate the Russians through two periods.

Then that all changed.

The third period could not be described better than it was after the game by Canadian defenceman and captain Ryan Ellis.

"We just stopped skating, we stopped working hard and we stopped doing the things that got us there," said Ellis.

Perfectly said. Canada almost literally stopped skating in the defensive zone. Visentin can and will be blamed for the second goal. After surrendering an early goal in a game of this magnitude a team looks to their goaltender for stability and calm. Visentin could not deliver, it's doubtful that Roy would have either given his recent outings so lets not bring up that argument either. But on the third goal from Russian captain Vladimir Tarasenko, the Canadian defence were standing still! Not watching their man but rather following the puck like moths follow the light. You could see the play coming from a mile away.

Not taking anything away from the Russians, they came back against Finland and Sweden to get to the gold medal. They're obviously a good team and I refuse to play the what if game. The Russians are quite the story, an incredible group of resilient and competitive young athletes. The fact is is the Canadians got cocky, they thought they had it in the bag and that they didn't need to work in the final 20 minutes.

Unbelievable, disappointing but above all else deserved.

Hats off to the Russians, hope your hangovers go well. I know getting kicked off a plane and being drunk underage is a bit embarrassing but 21 is too damn old for a legal drinking age anyways. In Canada, you're men but that doesn't mean we like you.

Photo Credit: TSN

Canada defeat Swiss; Russia stuns Finland

Going into every international tournament my favorite underdog team is always the Swiss and occasionally the Germans. Both teams always fair well against the Canadians, they rarely win but they always manage to keep it close. The Swiss program has developed so well over time now sitting seventh in the the world, Germany sits ninth, and they've done this with players that have gone mostly unnoticed, until now.

Jonas Hiller, Martin Gerber, Nino Niederreiter, Mark Streit, Luca Sbisa and Yannick Weber are all playing in North America and with the performance Benjamin Conz has put on in this tournament it may be safe to suggest that another Swiss-born goalie could play over seas as well. Conz is currently the ranked as the fifth best international goaltender but has gone undrafted in both the 2010 and 09 NHL Entry Drafts. Something tells me that won't happen again this year in Minnesota.

On to the game...

After Mark Visentin let in that atrocious looking first goal a cold feeling came up the back of my spine, a feeling I quickly shrugged off. While the Swiss netminder stopped 50 shots against the Russians and another 42 against Slovakia, I was confident in Canada's scoring depth and was sure we would come right back. Canada fired 23 shots at Conz in the first period. It would be almost 14 minutes before the Canadians would respond, it seemed like a lifetime.

Still, I expected the flood gates to open and for Canada to start pouring it on but the Swiss played extremely tight defensively and established a decent forecheck on a battered Canadian defence. It took Canada 17 minutes before they would take the lead and unlike shot-heavy the first period, Canada directed eleven shot on Conz with the Swiss getting nine on Visentin. The Swiss were doing it again! They won't go away! Love these guys...

It wasn't until after Louis Leblanc potted home his third of the tournament that I was able to breathe.

For those unfamiliar with the Swiss program you should familiarize yourself pronto because they're only going to get better and better. Here's hoping they have a strong showing at the World Championships.

Canada is now set to play the United States tomorrow night in the semi-finals and the HSBC Arena is going to be LOUD. Game is scheduled for 7pm et/ 4pm pt. Go Canada!

Russia vs. Finland

The Russians tied it up with a late flurry in the third to produce overtime. I'm actually watching the game right now and I can't help but notice how good this Finland team is. Wouldn't mind seeing a Finland vs. Sweden Semi final.

Unfortunately for Finland, Russia is too strong and just scored the winning goal! Kuznetzov ended it in overtime for the Russians and celebrated the goal by diving stomach first onto the ice! What a comeback for the Russians!

Despite me wanting to see a Scandinavian semifinals, Russia will give Sweden all the they handle and then some. It doesn't matter who wins Canada/USA or Sweden/Russia, the gold and bronze medal games will be outstanding to watch. It's hockey at its best! Stay tuned, I know I will.




photo credit: (Rick Stewart/Getty Images) and CBC

New Year Rundown

It's a new year and All Day Sports is primed and ready to rundown all things sports, 365 days a year. The goal is to make 2010 look damn silly as I roll out the carpet on what is already a very busy first weekend in the sporting world. 2011 will bring another exciting years worth of highlights and controversies. Can't wait to get started, so lets do it.

UFC 125: Edgar vs Maynard

Going into this event I gave UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar no chance of defeating the challenger Gray Maynard in the nights main event. Maynard is the only man to beat Edgar and in the opening round it looked as if he would easily do the same as he landed over 90 punches. Maynard exposed Edgar repeatedly, busting his nose open and sending him spawling all over the canvas.

But Edgar showed why he is the champion.

After somehow escaping the first round Edgar came out in the second and picked Maynard apart with his well-placed jabs and straight-armed shots to Maynard's left eye. Then out of nowhere Edgar was able to pick up the challenger and slam him hard on his back leaving everyone watching asking, where did that come from?

Edgar and Maynard then battled it out for three more solid rounds where I saw Maynard taking the third but not doing enough in the fourth and fifth rounds to earn himself a decision. Maynard had never taken a fight that far and it showed as he looked gassed. The judges scored the bout a draw which unfortunately was fair. I hate draws, they leave everything open for speculation and unleashes the barrage of shoulda, woulda, coulda arguments. But in this case, it was too even to call. Was Maynard's first round flurry evidence of his superior skills or does it highlight Edgar's fighting spirit and unbelievable ability to pick himself up and push the pace for another four rounds?

Two words: re-match. Edgar and Maynard III would be amazing, WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will just have to wait.

NFL schedule wraps up

With the NFL season winding down the playoff picture becomes increasingly clear. The Seahawks/Rams game is going to be the closest thing to an actual playoff game as the winner captures the NFC West division and the loser goes home. Prediction: Sam Bradford lives up to hype, Rams by 6.

In the AFC North the Steelers can lock-down the division title with a win over the 5-10 Cleveland Browns, leaving the Baltimore Ravens in a Wild Card position. Prediction: Sorry Ravens fans but the Steelers won't have any problems here, Steel by 14.

In the AFC South the Colts can get into the postseason with a win over the Titans or a Jacksonville loss to Houston. Prediction: Both teams win, Colts move on.

My favorite race is the three-way race for the last NFC Wild Card spot. The Packers, Bucs and Giants are all 9-6. The Packers are in the driver seat here as a win over the 11-4 Chicago bears will cement them the chance to play the Eagles in the Wild Card round. The Bucs are currently up 10-7 on the Saints in New Orleans. The Bucs are 0-5 versus winning teams and despite the current score I'm not sure they can pull this one out, even though admittedly I want them to. The Giants travel to FedEx field to take on the lowly Redskins and with Eli Manning winning eight of his past nine starts against the 'Skins, there's no reason why they can't win this one either. So how will it all play: Bucs fall, Giants destroy the Redskins, but the Packers get the 'W' at home following a gutsy Aaron Rodgers performance. Packers in, Bucs and Giants sent home.

NHL Hits

• The Bridgestone Winter Classic was postponed from its eleven a.m scheduled start to a six p.m prime-time showdown. I thought the rain added to the overall uniqueness of the outdoor game but at the same time it allowed for some sloppy action. No goals for Ovechkin/Crosby but two for Eric Fehr, a brutal blindside hit by Capitals' Dave Steckel on Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and a terrible play behind the net from Marc-Andre Fleury round out the highlights. It wasn't the greatest Winter Classic game but the NHL did a great job nonetheless, I can't imagine how much work went into putting this one together.
  

• The Oilers barely came to play against the Flames in another bore-fest that used to be known as the "Battle of Alberta". Eberle left the game with an ankle injury as the Oilers managed a paltry 8 shots in the first two periods compared to Calgary's 19 shots in the first period alone! The Oilers brought up defenceman Shawn Belle for some added size. He played over 17 minutes recording zero shots (insert slow-clap). Six losses in a row for the Oilers tells me that this team is nowhere near good enough to make the playoffs, nice try Renney.

• Quick trades. To Anaheim: (C) Maxim Lapierre; to Montreal: (D) Brett Festerling and a 2012 fifth round pick.
  

• To Tampa Bay: (G) Dwayne Roloson; to New York (D) Ty Wishart.

Check in later tonight as I re-cap the IIHF World Junior Quarter finals as Canada faces Switzerland for a chance to play Team U.S.A in the semi finals. In other action Russia faces off with Finland, winner takes on Sweden. Happy New Year!