The Hockey Stop

Today, the NHL unveiled an artist rendering of what Heinz Field will supposedly look like at 1 p.m. on New Years Day, when the Washington Capitals face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the annual Winter Classic.

Now, I expect there to be a lot of Caps fans in red Ovechkin jerseys at the game. Many fans will surely make the short trip from Washington to Pittsburgh to take part in the festivities.

But from the looks of this drawing, Caps red is drowning out the Pens' black and gold. In fact, it almost looks like an outdoor version of the Caps' home arena -- the Verizon Center. I'm sure this was unintentional, but nonetheless, for those who notice, it is another small match fueling the big fire raging in the buildup to what promises to be one of the most viewed games and hopefully one of the most exciting games in the history of hockey.

Anyway, take a look and judge for yourself. Is that a lot of red in the stands?

The Washington Capitals unveiled their Winter Classic uniforms on Saturday at their fan convention, which was held for the first time in downtown D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center just a few blocks from the Verizon Center.

The Caps will be sporting their red, white and blue throwback jerseys worn from 1974-1975 to 1994-1995. The players will be wearing the road white jerseys with red pants and red helmets. Former Capitals Yvon Labre and Rod Langway joined current Cap Alex Ovechkin (pictured above signing autographs with Caps forward Mathieu Perreault) on the stage to model the uniforms, which will go on sale in November.

The Winter Classic on January 1st against the Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and the HBO "24/7" reality series leading up to the big game were hot topics at the panel discussions throughout the day.

"When you have a big event like this you want to get the best matchup to drive the most attention and really create as much expectation as you possibly can," said NHL COO John Collins. "This was the matchup that everybody wanted. People had talked about why haven't the Capitals been in it before. So we're just happy we were able to pull it off. We're happy that the Capitals organization agreed to do it. And I think the fact that HBO "24/7" now is going to follow the Caps and Pens all the way into the Winter Classic I think is great for the sport and obviously great for the organization."

Caps General Manager George McPhee weighed in on the HBO series: "I think it's a great opportunity to expose this team and this game to not only hockey people but non-hockey people. Some people are going to watch it that have never seen hockey and go 'that is pretty cool.'"

More pictures from the Caps Convention:

























Caps owner Ted Leonsis signs autographs

Caps General Manager George McPhee answers questions

Left to right: Caps PA Announcer Wes Johnson, Caps forward Mike Knuble, NHL COO John Collins and Caps Head Equipment Manager Brock Myles discuss the upcoming Caps-Pens Winter Classic game in Pittsburgh.

The Washington Capitals unveiled their Winter Classic uniforms on Saturday at their fan convention, which was held for the first time in downtown D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center just a few blocks from the Verizon Center.

The Caps will be sporting their red, white and blue throwback jerseys worn from 1974-1975 to 1994-1995. The players will be wearing the road white jerseys with red pants and red helmets. Former Capitals Yvon Labre and Rod Langway joined current Cap Alex Ovechkin (pictured above signing autographs with Caps forward Mathieu Perreault) on the stage to model the uniforms, which will go on sale in November.

The Winter Classic on January 1st against the Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and the HBO "24/7" reality series leading up to the big game were hot topics at the panel discussions throughout the day.

"When you have a big event like this you want to get the best matchup to drive the most attention and really create as much expectation as you possibly can," said NHL COO John Collins. "This was the matchup that everybody wanted. People had talked about why haven't the Capitals been in it before. So we're just happy we were able to pull it off. We're happy that the Capitals organization agreed to do it. And I think the fact that HBO "24/7" now is going to follow the Caps and Pens all the way into the Winter Classic I think is great for the sport and obviously great for the organization."

Caps General Manager George McPhee weighed in on the HBO series: "I think it's a great opportunity to expose this team and this game to not only hockey people but non-hockey people. Some people are going to watch it that have never seen hockey and go 'that is pretty cool.'"

More pictures from the Caps Convention:

























Caps owner Ted Leonsis signs autographs

Caps General Manager George McPhee answers questions

Left to right: Caps PA Announcer Wes Johnson, Caps forward Mike Knuble, NHL COO John Collins and Caps Head Equipment Manager Brock Myles discuss the upcoming Caps-Pens Winter Classic game in Pittsburgh.

The Washington Capitals will visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field on New Year's Day for the 2011 NHL Winter Classic.

This is going to be a great game between two fierce rivals. And of course there is Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby for the league to hype to the maximum.

Also, commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that Washington will host a Winter Classic in the next two to three years. The Capitals Insider blog asks fans where they would want the game played.

Out of 1,072 votes so far 39 percent, including myself, voted for the National Mall followed by Nationals Park with 33 percent, RFK Stadium with 14 percent, FedEx Field with 11 percent and 1 percent for somewhere else.

The National Mall would be spectacular. Can you imagine a hockey game with the majestic backdrop of the Capitol Building on one side and the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the other side? It would be breathtaking. The National Mall recently handled more than a million people for the Obama inauguration so I'm sure it could handle 50,000 for a hockey game.

My brief trip to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics was simply amazing. Most Americans only viewed the Games through the prism of NBC, which is unfortunate. While much early emphasis was rightly placed on the tragic (and avoidable) death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, the event didn't tarnish the spirit of the Olympics at all.

This was my first Olympics so I have nothing to compare it to, but kudos to the city of Vancouver, the province of British Columbia and the country of Canada for a superb job hosting the world.

Vancouver is a modern, clean, efficient, friendly and cosmopolitan city that is easy to get around. While it was crowded, I never felt claustrophobic and while the security was tight, it was always in the background.

Here is a photo and video tour of my two days at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics:

Welcome to Vancouver, eh! There was a large Korean group in line at customs so the wait was long. But everyone was in good spirits and friendly. This is Canada after all! Plus there was a humongous video screen showing the Olympic events to pass the time.


Who's that waiting in line at customs? It's actor Michael Madsen! He is probably the only straight guy who can get away with carrying a Louis Vuitton bag through an airport. Would you question his masculinity? I didn't think so.


NBC hospitality program representative. She wasn't very friendly. Go figure. This is the network that forced out Conan O'Brien and decided to tape delay the Olympics by three hours on the West Coast even though the games are on the West Coast. To say NBC has problems is an understatement.


Vancouver's brand new Canada Line SkyTrain zips you from the airport to downtown. It is fast, frequent and clean. Upon my return to Los Angeles while I was choking on exhaust fumes waiting for the FlyAway bus at LAX, I was wishing L.A. had a train to the airport like Vancouver. There was lots of room for luggage and bicycles or strollers for families. It never felt cramped even on a packed train coming back to the hotel from the hockey game at Canada Place. And again those Canadians are just so darn friendly.


Here is video of the trip from the Vancouver airport to our hotel in Richmond. One day L.A., one day we will get a train like this to LAX!




Canada is the most apologetic nation in the world. Saying sorry is not a sign of weakness as in the United States but simply a part of everyday conversation. Even the buses say they are sorry when they are not in service or full.


What's a trip to Vancouver without a Mountie picture! Well, at least a cardboard version. There are few more recognizable uniforms in the world than those of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.


Welcome to the Visa-McDonald's-Starbucks-Nike-Coke Olympics! One has to wonder what the Ancient Greeks would have thought of the corporatization of the Games. The Olympics should be about country not commercials and consumption. But this is the reality so charge that Big Mac and Dr Pepper on your Visa card and get ready for some hockey!


The Olympic Rings and the Olympic Cauldron. These are the real lasting symbols of the spirit of the Games. Not Visa. Television does not do the Olympic Flame justice. It is breathtaking up close and was the highlight of the trip.

Here is video of the Olympic Cauldron:




The stereotype of Canadians is that they are a humble people lacking in national pride compared to the United States. So it was both surprising and refreshing to see the streets of Vancouver turned into a sea of red and white. The patriotism was especially evident after Canada defeated Russia 7-3. "O, Canada" was full-throated on the SkyTrain by Canucks with one too many Molsons and the Maple Leaf flag was draped across the backs of many proud people from the Great White North. These two guys above are celebrating Canada's win over Russia.


The thousands of volunteers were amazing. They did a fantastic job riling up the sometimes nonpartisan crowds at the events. This crazy Canuck got the crowd juiced up for the men's hockey game between Sweden and Slovakia.


Video of Sweden vs. Slovakia:




Sometimes you just shrug your shoulders and don't even try to understand what they were thinking. But hey, it's the Olympics. It's all good fun.


The Vancouver Winter Olympics were the greenest Games ever. The organizers made sure to make the events as environmentally friendly as possible. There were plenty of recycling and composting receptacles, and of course every venue was easily accessible by bus or rail. The bar has been set high in terms of reducing the carbon footprint of a major international event. Great job being green, Canada!


Team Sweden's two biggest fans. Too bad for them the Swedes lost to Finland in overtime. The president of Finland, Tarja Halonen, was on hand to witness the Suomi women win the Bronze Medal at Canada Place. It was a special moment. I've personally never experienced anything like it. To see the emotional reaction of a country like Finland after winning a medal was exhilarating. At that moment for the first time I understood what the Olympics Spirit is all about.


The thrill of victory.


The agony of defeat.


Video of the Finns celebrating their overtime win for the Bronze Medal: