NHL Winter Classic 2011: 7 Things You May Not Have Seen at the Winter Classic

Despite the major coverage surrounding the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, the audience doesn't always see everything.

Bleacher Report gave me the amazing opportunity to represent them in the press box at the Winter Classic, and I was exposed to many interesting quips that I wouldn't have known had I not been in that situation.

It made for an interesting new take on a widely viewed event.

Here are seven things you may not have seen (or heard) at the Winter Classic.

Laura Falcon is a Featured Columnist for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Follow her on Twitter or email her at [e-mail] with any comments or questions.

The Media Hears It All

You would think that being in the press box requires complete concentration of the game because the box is so removed from not only the rink, but the fans as well.

Wrong.

With NBC airing the game on a 10 second delay on the overhead TVs, members of the media were given a special treat when on-ice chatter became a part of the noise in the press box during certain points of the game. Clearly there were some strategically placed mics to provide us with the spirited sound bytes.

Trust the media when they say they can hear and see everything.

The NHL Community Is a Small World...

The world of professional sports seems daunting at first not only because of the word "professional" but because of the expanse of the country the sport can cover.

Upon attending the media skate that took place two days prior to the Winter Classic, I learned that the NHL world is a very, very small world and everyone knows just about everyone.

The media skate clearly served more as an ice-test and starting point of the Winter Classic coverage, but it quickly became a reunion for many members of the media who were separated for a long period of time. The chance to skate around the ice gave media members the chance to catch up, all while fulfilling their original duties.

The majority of them are very good skaters, by the way, unlike me.

...and Friendly World

Courtesy of ESPN

What impressed me the most wasn't the number of high profile hockey analysts that were swarming around Heinz Field at all times, but the attitude these people carried.

Despite their "fame," they're quite down to earth.

Before taking the ice for the media skate, ESPN's Scott Burnside struck up a conversation with me about my Alex Ovechkin-esque skates. As I struggled with skating around the rink, he, among many other members of the media, were directing words of encouragement in my direction while I fought to maintain my balance.

As a relative nobody in the sports world, I was happy to see that my status had nothing to do with how I would be treated. It was further proof that the NHL is run by and represented by classy people, inside and out.

The Press Box Had the Best Seats in the House

Courtesy of sports.webshots.com

The obvious reason for this is because the media got to watch the game live while avoiding the elements.

But beyond that, press box seats are truly remarkable and, after watching pieces of the NBC coverage, gave a great view of the happenings on the ice.

They truly were the best seats in the house during the Classic.

Mario Lemieux Is a Chill Guy

Take a look at the photo.

This was taken at the start of a Lemieux press conference following the Alumni Game. Last I checked, press conferences are usually held at a podium, but clearly, Lemieux had other plans.

Instead of taking his place at the podium, Lemieux stepped out of the dressing room and walked right to the edge of the stage where he took his seat. It was the most relaxed I had seen him in a long time, especially after countless formal press conferences.

The conference itself was no different.

The Extent of the Water Issue

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 01: The Washington Capitals take on the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2011 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic at Heinz Field on January 1, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Washington won 3-1. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

I think everyone understood the impact the rain had on the ice at the Classic.

However, few probably saw what it was like clearing up the ice during TV timeouts.

The ice crews shoveled water from the ice almost as if they were shoveling snow from a driveway. The worst part was that their work rendered useless in a matter of minutes following the resuming of play.

It gave an entirely new image to the bad weather.

Faulty Jumbotron

For an event like the Winter Classic, one should assume that Heinz Field would have been fully prepared for the great sporting event.

Not the case.

Starting with the Alumni Game and going through the Winter Classic, the jumbotron visual was out-of-sync with the jumbotron audio. This not only demonstrated a complete lack of preparation from the Heinz Field crew, but also no desire to fix it by game time.

With an event like the Classic, I don't see why everything wasn't working as it should have been, especially over a span of two days. It made watching interviews and happenings on the jumbotron annoying and even borderline painful.