http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur6Lxi8RNb4&hl=en&fs=1
The 2008 Winter Classic
Good morning…..yes afternoon on the East Coast. Welcome to the last week of 2008 and the last Monday Ice Water Cooler of the year. Wow the year has really flown by! This is what we have coming up in the last three days of 2008….as we head to 2009 and January 1st’s Winter Classic in Chicago.
First up, we have some big news from the podcast. Starting January 4th, 2009, The Program will be on at 8pm ET/5pm PT. That is right….truly a prime-time schedule for us. It will be the same two hour show folks complete with everything and probably the kitchen sink as well. As we head into 2009, our goal is to make improvements to the podcast to give you even more of the best information that you can sink your teeth into. That is our goal!
Do not forget that our Year-End show Wednesday night at 10:30pm PT….will be preceded by our Half Year In Links for 2008. We will span the best posts on here from July to the end of the year. It is a lot of fun to look back again and see what happened since the Red Wings hoisted the Stanley Cup in June. From Brodeur to Avery to Ovechkin, we span the second half of the year in a unique way and thanks to all the blogs that made it possible for us to cover all the things we do at The Program.
Now what is being talked about around the Cooler this morning? In New York, if you are a Ranger fan, you are probably fed up with Tom Renney and the New York Rangers. A team that is 9 over .500 is grounds for a firing? Maybe the problem is more systemic perhaps but it does make you wonder. Derek Felix from the Battle Of New York wrote this gem. Truthfully I have thought that Renney should have been fired 2 years ago but because the Rangers got to the playoffs, he was given a pass. Being this resistant to change may be grounds for dismissal. Message from NY fans to Renney: get tough or get going!
The downfall of Ottawa!!! Ottawa lost its 12th straight on the road….losing 3-0 to Vancouver last night. What is going to happen there? Depends on who you ask folks. The one thing I do know for sure is that Ottawa is going to be a seller at some form during the trade deadline. It is obvious that this team, as constructed, needs to be blown up. Mr. Melnyk is not too happy right now and at this point probably realizes that the window is closed. Could Murray and Hartsburg get the axe even? So many questions then add in all the trade possibilities (Spezza, Heatley, etc.) and you have the makings of a very discontent winter in Ottawa!
So as we head to the New Year….expect hockey to only heat up folks!! That is the nature of the beast as 2009 approaches and do not forget the Winter Classic of course!!
