The Pittsburgh Penguins had a couple of opponents on Thursday and survived with a surprising overtime win over another first-place team. NHL trade rumors took a couple of days off, but we’ve got a few teams staring at big decisions, including the New York Rangers–with coach Mike Sullivan–looking at a rebuild. Canada is reacting to its Olympic roster, while it seems we already know Team USA without an announcement.

And Will Ferrell became the viral story at the LA Kings game.

So, here we go. New page. New year. I’m in the process of re-evaluating my travel for the rest of this season. I think it’s best to stop this Ironman streak that is in its third season. I’m looking at Seattle–already booked–as a game to miss. An afternoon game, no morning skate, and a quick turnaround to Calgary. Yeah…TBD.

But here’s a Q: If you had a max budget of about $700 to spend on air and hotel and 4-7 days’ worth of time, where would you go?

I’m hoping for a flash sale or points sale to the UK, but I’m not holding my breath.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Eight times shorthanded against the Detroit Red Wings, two power play goals against, and overtime. Yet, the resilient, plucky Penguins won.

The report card was not easy to write. Unlike Tuesday, the game was muddy track with a lot of players sitting for a lot of minutes. Even Sidney Crosby played only 3:41 in the first period. It was a salvage effort that yielded two points, and that became part of the story of the Penguins’ game.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

The Athletic ($): I know some of you have a little bit of schadenfreude, especially with Mike Sullivan. The New York Rangers aren’t exactly lighting it up this season, blown leads are a problem, as are free agents, and the age of the core players. Sound familiar? So, uhhhh, what comes next for the NYR? Will they enter a rebuild?

Those trade rumors from New York are going to be loud. Very, very loud.

Sportsnet Video: Will Ferrell took the attention from the Kings-Lightning game. The Step Brothers, Talledega Nights, Old School, The Other Guys, and Anchorman star dressed as a referee and was making calls at the glass. You can check it out.

My son and I used to watch Step Brothers, and it kept getting funnier, but Ferrell actually made a really good movie with Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emma Thompson. It’s for people who like good movies: Stranger than Fiction. Highly recommended.

Sportsnet: Canada is in full debate mode. No, not about the state of the world, but something more important: Team Canada. There were a couple of questionable picks, and Justin Bourne digs into the few and the fallout.

Colton Parayko and Thomas Harley over Matthew Schaefer was the big mistake to me. I don’t mind leaving off Sam Bennet. Nor am I disappointed in snubbing Evan Bouchard, who has assumed the hugely important, but maligned for mistakes, Kris Letang mantle.

Forever Blueshirts: Defenseman Adam Fox was informed he was not included on Team USA. It wasn’t an easy day, and here is Fox’s reaction in the New York Rangers room.

Detroit Hockey Now: At the World Junior tourney, one of the Red Wings’ Swedish prospects wasn’t thrilled with how Team USA reacted to Sweden’s 6-3 win, calling Team USA, “quite dirty.”

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