A New Holiday Tradition – The Winter Classic [Video]

New Year's Day normally brings the end to the crazy holiday season and starts the doldrums of winter. One event though has managed to wrap up the whole holiday season extravaganza with a big bow: The Winter Classic.

Whether you are a hockey fan or just the casual sports fan, most everyone can enjoy the Winter Classic. The game is played at an outdoor stadium and features some of the NHL's best rivalries. This year's game, the fifth installment, featured a Tri-State, old school rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, in Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia.

The Rangers pulled out a 3-2 win in a highly contested match-up but the final score is only a small portion of what the Classic brings to the table in terms of enjoyment for the fans.

The game is actually the culmination of a month long build up of anticipation thanks to HBO's in depth behind-the-scenes series '24/7: Flyers/Rangers:Road to the Winter Classic' The teams are followed by HBO cameras for the month of December on and off the ice, all the way up to and including, the actual Winter Classic game itself.

The NHL also offers an alumni game the day or two before the Winter Classic, providing fans a bit of nostalgia, watching players of years' past from both teams, competing against each other as a precursor to the big game. The alumni game is normally attended by almost just as many fans as those that will attend the Classic itself.

So next year. if you're looking for something to get you out of the post-holiday funk, instead of watching one the 40+ college bowl games that will be on, may I suggest you check out the Winter Classic, you just may make it one of your new holiday traditions.