As snow fell in Ann Arbor, 105,491 fans packed Michigan Stadium to experience the spectacle that was the 2014 Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.Two years in the making, the New Years Day NHL showcase lived up to the immense hype produced by those franchises and that venue.Youre talking about The Big House and youre talking about the Red Wings and youre talking about the Leafs being in there, the first Canadian team to be in the Winter Classic, NHL chief operating officer John Collins said. In probably as many games as we do in the future, everybody will still say thats the grand daddy. Thats how good it was.So good, perhaps, that this years Winter Classic between the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks lacks league-wide buzz. For the first time, the crown jewel of the regular season isnt a matchup of long-time rivals. And its at seven-year-old Nationals Park, not a historic stadium that attracts extra attention.Im sure if you ask the Washington Capitals, theres probably more of a buzz there because its in Washington and not in Chicago, Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook told the Chicago Sun-Times. All the fanfare around it, we dont get to see that here.This will be the seventh Winter Classic since the tradition began in Buffalo in 2008. According to NBC play-by-play broadcaster Mike Emrick, there have been 110 outdoor games since at various levels and in many countries, from Mexico to Russia.This one is a chance for the NHL to shine the spotlight on Alex Ovechkin and the city of Washington, which has experienced a rejuvenation as a hockey town with the Rock the Red era Capitals, who have made the playoffs in seven of the past eight years.The heartening thing is, too, is this is a second surge, Emrick said on a conference call. Having a star to build around is an enormous thing and you can have a pretty solid team around him, too, but people like somebody thats going to bring you out of their seats. I dont know since Gordie Howe if we had anyone that was a big scorer and also was a hammer shot type of guy when it came to hitting other opponents like we have with this guy.No. 8 jerseys are plentiful around Verizon Center on game nights. Collins recalled Al Michaels — the same broadcaster who coined Do You Believe in Miracles? during the United States gold-medal run at the 1980 Olympics — saying a few years ago that he saw more Capitals sweaters walking around the city than he did Redskins NFL jerseys.Really from that moment on, weve been talking about how do we take advantage of that opportunity, how do we reward the market, how do we give the Caps the opportunity to take centre stage, Collins said. The club deserves it and the fan base deserves it.If the NHL has followed any pattern with the Winter Classic, its that the road team should expect to host one sooner rather than later. The only exception to that is the New York Rangers, who hosted two outdoor Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium last year instead of getting the Winter Classic.The Capitals visited the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field in 2011, a game infamous for being moved to nighttime because of rain and for the concussion Sidney Crosby suffered on a hit from David Steckel. Ever since, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and the organization have been waiting for their Winter Classic.Its sort of the payback, there was that thought, Capitals president Dick Patrick said. I think there had to be a little bit of a time gap between them. Were really excited.Counting two games of the 1998 Stanley Cup final, this will be just the third time a signature NHL event will take place in the Washington area. The other was the 1982 all-star game at Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Md.The Capitals are celebrating their 40th anniversary this season.Call it the Ovechkin effect, or whatever youd like, but there has been a boom in kids playing hockey in Washington, Virginia and Maryland since the Capitals selected the Russian winger first overall in 2004.One thing that blows me away is the amount of youth hockey thats being played in Virginia, in Washington, D.C., in the Baltimore area. Its mind boggling, NBC analyst and former NHL coach and executive Pierre McGuire said. And the calibre of player thats coming out of there is really high end and I think the reason why is grass roots development of hockey that was forged by the Washington Capitals and their commitment to the area.Despite seven playoff appearances, these Capitals, led by Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green, havent made it past the second round. That means they havent been in the national television spotlight beyond some marquee regular-season games against the Penguins, Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers.But Collins considers the work-in-progress aspect of the Capitals an interesting part of the league storyline. The team has a new general manager in Brian McLellan and a new coach in Barry Trotz this season.I think whats unique is the Capitals are an interesting story: a team that clearly admits that they havent fulfilled the potential of where they see themselves, and theyre in the process of reinventing themselves again with some real star players, Collins said. Its interesting to see what theyre doing now and how much its changed and what theyre trying to accomplish as a team.The Blackhawks, while not a rival, bring some national interest. Chicago has experienced a similar revitalization as a hockey market with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, two Stanley Cups in the past five years and the highest attendance in the NHL.Viewers of Road to the NHL Winter Classic on EPIX (which has taken over for HBO) have gotten a chance to see the Blackhawks behind the scenes.Theyve got so many stars, Collins said. Its like a rock-and-roll band on tour.The Winter Classic is one of just two outdoor games on the NHL schedule in 2014-15, joined by the Stadium Series matchup between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 21 in Santa Clara, Calif. There were six total last season, headlined by Maple Leafs-Red Wings on Jan. 1.Commissioner Gary Bettman expects there to be more than two but fewer than six outdoor games next season. Early speculation is that the Boston Bruins could host the Montreal Canadiens, potentially at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for the Winter Classic, with Winnipeg, Denver and Minneapolis the favourites to land the others.---Follow @SWhyno on TwitterNote to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated this will be the eighth Winter Classic instead of the seventh. Under Armour Sale Australia . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China. Under Armour Shoes Australia . Hollis-Jefferson went 5-for-6 from the field and added six rebounds, while Stanley Jefferson contributed 14 points for the Wildcats, who used their trademark tough defense to dominate the games final 24 minutes and advance to Tuesdays winners bracket matchup with Kansas State. http://www.cheapunderarmouraustralia.com/. Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4). Under Armour Shoes Sale . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Under Armour Shoes Clearance .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. CLEVELAND -- A season that looked like a lost cause two weeks ago has suddenly turned around for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving scored 22 points and the Cavaliers won their sixth straight game, 101-93 over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The winning streak has put Cleveland within three games of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Considering where they were on Feb. 5 when they hit rock bottom with an embarrassing loss to an injury-decimated Los Angeles Lakers team that finished the game with five players, the Cavaliers have made a big leap forward in a short period of time. Irving, chosen MVP of the NBA All-Star game Sunday, paced a balanced offence that extended the Cavaliers longest winning streak since they won eight in a row in March 2010. That was LeBron James final season in Cleveland. "Its been nothing specific," Irving said of the resurgence. "Were coming together as a team. Were enjoying the game out there, a lot more smiles and a higher level of competitiveness. Were having fun, but were also competing." General manager Chris Grant was fired the day after the loss to the Lakers. It appears the Cavaliers learned some lessons from the low point of the season. Cleveland won its last four games before the All-Star break and routed Philadelphia on Tuesday. "We know what it feels like to be on both sides, whether down or up," Irving said. Cleveland played without guard Dion Waiters (hyperextended left knee) and centre Anderson Varejao (sore back). Luol Deng scored 17 points, while Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson each added 16 for the Cavaliers, whose 21-point lead was cut to two late in the game. Arron Afflalo led Orlando with 23 points. The Magic have lost 14 consecutive road games and are an NBA-worst 3-25 away from home. Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn is at a loss to explain his teams road woes. "I have no secret formula," he said. "They can see how the second half transpired -- thats the secret. Whether its back-to-back games or youre playing four in five nights, playing like that with mental toughness is the only way to get it done." The Cavaliers built an 18-point lead in the first quarter and were ahead by double figures until Orlando rallied in the third. The Magic outscored the Cavs 32-17 in the period and cut it to 72-70 in the early seconds of the fourth. Cleveland went up 89-81 but Orlando scored six straight points to cut the margin to two again. Zellers three-point play, two free throws by Irving and Dengs 3-pointter pushed the lead to 97-89 with 35 seconds remaining.dddddddddddd Orlando forward Glen Davis, the subject of trade talk leading up to Thursdays deadline, left early in the first quarter with a sore right Achilles and didnt return. The Cavaliers led 26-11 after one. Orlando missed its first nine shots and fell behind 15-2. The Magic were 3 of 21 from the field in the quarter. Irving, who had 31 points and 14 assists in the All-Star game, ended the first half with a 3-pointer from a couple of steps behind the line that gave Cleveland a 55-36 lead. The Cavaliers scored the first basket in the second half, but the Magic cut the lead to 10 midway through the third, and Nikola Vucevics two free throws made it 72-68 going into the fourth. Victor Oladipos basket to open the period cut the lead to two points. Thompson had 14 rebounds for Cleveland. Vucevic scored 20 points for the Magic, and Tobias Harris added 19. Cleveland has won all three matchups with Orlando this season. Both teams have been linked to trade talks. Reports have indicated the Cavaliers have told teams Deng is available. The veteran moved into the starting small forward spot after being acquired from Chicago on Jan. 7, but can become a free agent after the season. "In 10 years, my name has come up a lot. I never fell into rumours or what goes around," Deng said. "I just have to have the mindset that Im here, then at the end of the day whatever happens, I have to deal with that situation." In addition to Davis, its been reported that the Magic would also be open to dealing Afflalo and Jameer Nelson. Waiters was injured against Philadelphia and had an MRI on Wednesday. Waiters said on his Twitter account that the knee is sore, but nothing is torn. Cavaliers guard C.J. Miles sprained his left ankle while driving to the basket in the fourth quarter. He hit the floor hard and was down for several moments. Miles remained in the game to hit the two free throws before limping to the locker room. NOTES: While the Cavaliers are listing Varejao as being out with a back injury, hes been dealing with an assortment of ailments, including a sore knee. The team hopes some time off will help his injuries heal up. ... Orlandos last road win came on Dec. 16, an 83-82 victory over Chicago. Deng led the Bulls with 26 points in that game. ... The Magics 11 points in the first quarter were a season low for any period. ... The Magic lost 87-81 in overtime at Cleveland on Jan. 2 as Varejao tied the Cavaliers record with 25 rebounds. ' ' '