good morning!
And welcome to the first hoddle of 2025! It’s too bad the first Premier League fixture of the new year includes Arsenal, but maybe they’ll put in a stinker against Brentford.
January 1 also gives us ice hockey fans one of the recent traditions in North American sports: the Winter Classic.
Every year two teams play in an outdoor stadium (usually cold-weather sites) such as Fenway Park, Citi Field or Gillette Stadium. The event becomes a spectacle and is one of my favourite things to watch.
My biggest gripe, though, has to be the exclusion of the San Jose Sharks in any of these. I understand the Sharks play in California, but they’ve earned a spot by now. How the heck can last year’s edition feature the league’s two newest teams (the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken) but no Sharks? Or Winnipeg Jets, for that matter.
This year’s edition will feature a return of two teams more suited to a Winter Classic than Vegas or Seattle: the St Louis Blues vs the Chicago Blackhwaks. (It’s worth noting, however, that this’ll be the Blues’ second Winter Classic in four years).
This year’s edition is also on December 31 at 5pm ET. So by the time you read this you’ll probably already know what happened. I have no idea why it’s on New Year’s Eve.
My only guess would be that the television networks thought America would be more interested in watching Arizona State versus Texas in the Peach Bowl (they’re probably right).
Fitzie’s track of the day: Rock ‘N Roll High School, by the Ramones
And now for your links:
NHL with a preview of this year’s Winter Classic
The rise and fall of North Korea women’s football
American Soccer Club NY to make 2025 debut on Long Island
