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I couldn't wait too long to share the joy of the Winter Classic at Fenway Park. What an amazing day! For those that don't know, two "original six" hockey teams--the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers--played at Fenway Park on New Year's Day. These were the toughest tickets to get I've seen in a long time.

Luke's current Mite hockey coach submitted a ticket-contest essay on behalf of the team honoring the legacy of last season's head coach, Bill McCarthy, who lost his battle with brain cancer this past summer. It was a touching tribute to a great coach and man, and we were fortunate enough to be among the teams that got to attend the game for free. Coach McCarthy taught both the kids and parents about the meaning and value of youth hockey. You can read the Boston Globe story for more information. I highly recommend reading it. There's also a little Channel 7 News clip here.

If that wasn't moving enough, the spectacle of the Classic had so many moments for me. First of all, it was a great father-son event. The weather was perfect to inspire ballpark pizza and hot chocolate. I didn't realize that Luke even knew who Bobby Orr was (a game-changing defenseman for the Bruins in the early '70s), but they put some stuff up on the big screen about him. Luke started spouting off stats and cheering for a hero. When they announced Orr as an honorary captain and he stepped on to the field, the crowd erupted, and the ovation was touching.

The hometown rockers, Dropkick Murphys, performed their hit, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston". Ever since the Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papelbon, owned that song in 2007, it has become a powerful piece of the fabric of Boston sports. The energy and excitement of having it done live on the field was intense.

James Taylor performed the National Anthem with a guitar. James Taylor was a favorite of my dad's, and his music was something we often shared when I was learning the guitar twenty-five years ago. JT did a great job, and it really hit me then that my dad would have loved to be there or even hear about it from me. I was thankful to be there with Luke.

The Bruins pulled out an overtime victory after being behind for the entire game. You couldn't have written up a more dramatic finish and "happy ending" for the home team. This is the third Winter Classic, and this is the first time the home team has won. As Bob Costas said, the NHL owns New Year's Day now. Amazing!