My first thought on the official announcement of the long-known rumor that the 2010 Winter Classic will be at Fenway between the Bruins and Flyers was the same as many others, namely, what a huge mistake NBC made in picking the Flyers over the Capitals.

My second thought was, awesome, that gives me another year to save up so I can actually make my way to wherever it is the Caps play in the Winter Classic (presumably the next 2-3 years).

My third thought was, who the hell will they play when they get it? Boston and Philadelphia will be out, as will the previous teams to play in the Winter Classic- Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. NBC will likely lobby hard for a Capitals-Penguins matchup, but the league would be wise to turn that down. The Pens were in the 2008 game and have been in the past two Stanley Cup finals, they've had more than their fair share of tv time and, more importantly, the other NHL constituent clubs would revolt.

So far the matchups have alternated between Eastern and Western Conference teams, and it wouldn't be surprising for that to continue. Nor would it be surprising to see either a) a pair of Canadian teams, or b) an American and Canadian team meeting on Canadian ice. Expect Montreal and/or Toronto to be involved in that.

Capitals versus Canadiens would be interesting, and could actually happen this season (albeit in November and indoors).

So, who in the Eastern Conference would the Caps play? Canadiens and Maple Leafs, maybe, but it'd be more likely to see them play another American team. Although Puck Daddy would love to see them play on the Reflecting Pool on the Mall (and it's certainly big enough), there's no way the Capitals host an outdoors game. The weather is way too unpredictable. The historic average high on January 1st in Washington, D.C. (20001 zip code) is 43 degrees, and the record high was 69 degrees only four years ago. That would be disastrous.

If a home game is out, so is a game against a Southeast Division opponent. The Rangers, Islanders and Devils would make the most sense geographically. Right now a Capitals-Islanders matchup sounds ridiculous, but if we're looking two or four years in the future then the Next Big Thing could transform into the Real Deal, and maybe even galvanize a New York audience (which is NBC's real interest).

As a dark horse, I'd say Capitals-Senators would be a great thematic match, pitting the two national capitals against each other in competition for the Capital Cup.*

*As an aside, does anyone else remember the Caps and Sens playing for that in the preseason? I totally remember being there one year where the Caps won and hoisted a Capitals-themed trash can as the 'trophy,' but I feel like that could easily be a complete figment of my imagination.