Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
 | Video |
 |
Winter Classic wrap up Jan. 1: Pierre McGuire and Darren Pang talk about all the action from a historic day at Wrigley Field. |
CHICAGO - For all the bad blood between the Red Wings and Blackhawks, and all the novel ways they’ve come up with over the years to spill it, maybe the only surprise is that no one ordered them to “take it outside” before this.
Seven hundred times previously, more than any two teams in pro hockey, these “Original Six” members met and yet rarely raised this kind of ruckus. But a hometown crowd unused to seeing anything stirring in Wrigley Field from September until spring didn’t have to wait long to find their familiar ballpark transformed into the “Unfriendly Confines.”
Just two minutes in, Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook lined up Detroit’s Dan Cleary, bounced him into the boards and then deposited him headfirst into the Hawks’ bench. It was payback for the bruised leg Cleary gave rising Chicago star Patrick Kane during the Red Wings’ 4-0 thrashing in Detroit two nights earlier. That one broke the Hawks’ nine-game winning streak, and riding the momentum from Seabrook’s hit to a 3-1 lead by the end of the first period, it looked like the locals were going to get revenge.
But that idea got buried by three unanswered scores in the second as the reigning Stanley Cup champions piled on the quality in waves, rolling up a 43-37 advantage in shots and a 6-4 win in the NHL’s second “Winter Classic.”
“It wasn’t just another game,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneviile said. “We had to bring our best game against them. But they played some very important games the last part of last season and they know what it’s like to play a big game.
“And to me,” he added, “this was a big game and a big experience. They responded well.”
If the game wasn’t a success for the Blackhawks, it was a near-perfect showcase for the NHL, venerated Wrigley, the city of Chicago, and perhaps even its quest to play host for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Commissioner Gary Bettman went out of his way to put in a plug on that score.
“Had a chance to chat with Mayor Daley,” Bettman said. “I hope the Olympic bid is successful, because there’s no doubt this is a great sports town.”
The game certainly had a wintry, old-school feel, from the relatively comfortable 32 degrees when the puck was dropped to the snow dumped around the playing field to surround the rink — complete with a brick facade that mirrored Wrigley’s walls — to the retro jerseys on both sides and the fedoras donned by the Red Wings coaching staff in a nod to a few of their legendary predecessors.
“Just old-time hockey,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said about his fashionable felt hat. “We needed something on our head, even though we didn’t realize the benches were going to be as warm as they were.
“Probably didn’t need it. And no,” he added, smiling after back-to-back wins over their closest pursuers, “I won’t be donning it again.”
If his expression was any indicator, Bettman should have walked around the old ballyard in a top hat. His sport is still struggling to carve out a niche in the United States and rarely gets this kind of attention — unless one player caves in a rival’s head or, like bad-boy Sean Avery did recently, disses his ex-girlfriend. But the sports calendar broke well and the novelty of ancient Wrigley, one of baseball’s grand dames, decked out in winter clothes to usher in the new year made it a compelling event.
“The place was rocking. The national anthem was unbelievable,” Kane said. “And just looking around, realizing you’re playing a hockey game on a baseball field. It’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I definitely will cherish it.”
Kane is right about that. Detroit goaltender Ty Conklin was actually playing in his third outdoor NHL game, having been in the nets for the Oilers in the first unofficial winter classic in Edmonton a half-dozen years ago and again for the Penguins in Buffalo last January. The feeling, he said, never gets old.
“I count myself very lucky,” Conklin said. “There’s not a guy in this league who wouldn’t like to play in these games.”
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
ProHockeyTalk headlines |
 | Video: NHL from NBC Sports |
 |
 | Slideshow |
 | NHL All-Stars Take a look at the players who competed in Team Chara's 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson. more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | Winter Classic '09 Check out some of the best images of the action, celebs and fans at the Winter Classic. more photos |
Winter Classic: Wings 6, Blackhawks 4 |
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.