NHL Winter Classic 2012: Weather Delay Proves Elements Make It Great

The NHL Winter Classic was moved back two hours today, and that's awesome.

Due to weather conditions, the game needed to be moved back in order to ensure optimal conditions for the players and the fans.

Still, the weather will be a little worse than people could hope for, but that's what hockey is all about.

Anyone can play hockey indoors. It's not that impressive. In a controlled environment, things are good.

When things go outside, things become great.

It goes back to pond hockey. Back when you were a little kid in the backyard or at the park, skating with the neighborhood kids, regardless of the weather.

You didn't care about freezing. You didn't care about snow. It was for the love of the sport.

It's cliche to say professional athletes lose the love of the game. To say they play just for the money is ignorant. So we're not going there.

These athletes do love the game. Games like this prove how pure the sport is. It reminds the players and the fans what they love about hockey.

If the weather is affecting the start time of the game, that's great. Things should clear up by the start time, and that's fine.

The weather should affect the game. You see football players brave the elements. You see baseball players do their best in the elements.

Now, we get to see hockey players brave the elements.

The weather is a factor, and that's the greatest thing about the Winter Classic. It's not simply about the game, it's about the purity of the sport.

It shows what hockey (and any sport, actually) is truly about: the love of the game.