The Bruins defeated the Blackhawks 4-2 in yesterday's NHL Winter Classic Game before a sellout crowd of 76,126 at Notre Dame Stadium. The attendance was the "second-largest for an outdoor hockey game in NHL history, behind the 105,491 who packed Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2014" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 1/2). The game featured the "South Bend Symphony Orchestra playing the Notre Dame Fight Song as the Leprechaun and Notre Dame hockey team led both teams to the rink." The St. Joseph High School varsity and JV hockey teams "held the United States flag on the auxiliary rink as the symphony performed the National Anthem." Weezer performed during the first intermission, and Judah & The Lion played during the second intermission (SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE, 1/2). The game was played amid "perfect conditions for outdoor hockey" (AP, 1/1).

Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews said, "It even exceeded my expectations. This one is right at the top as far as outdoor games go" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/2). Under the header, "Notre Dame Was The Real Star Of This Winter Classic," the Chicago DAILY HERALD writes, "It was splendid. All of it. The game, the crowd, the atmosphere."

Booger McFarland will shed the sideline cart he used during “MNF” this season and be in the booth for ESPN’s broadcast of the Colts-Texans Wild Card game on Saturday, a move that will lead to speculation that McFarland will join Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten in the booth next season. ESPN moved McFarland to the booth for the final “MNF” regular-season game on Christmas Eve, citing weather conditions as a reason for making that move.

ESPN was said to be so pleased with how the three-man booth worked for that Broncos-Raiders game, it decided to stick with the three-man booth for its only NFL playoff telecast. For the record, ESPN says no decision has been made for the booth next season, but it appears likely that McFarland’s sideline cart will not be around.

There were five bowl games on New Year’s Day, and most saw attendance declines, including a record low for the Outback Bowl.

• The Rose Bowl once again led all bowls this season, as 91,853 fans attended Ohio State-Washington. But that is the game’s lowest mark since Oregon-Florida State in '14 (two games in the period were CFP semifinals).
• Texas-Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl drew 71,449 fans, down from Alabama-Clemson in the CFP semifinal last year, but well above the 54,077 for Oklahoma-Auburn two years ago.
• Camping World Stadium saw 59,167 fans for the VRBO Citrus Bowl, marking the game’s best figure since Michigan-Florida drew 63,113 in '16.
• The PlayStation Fiesta Bowl saw 57,246 fans for LSU-UCF at State Farm Stadium, which is the event’s lowest attendance since Pitt-Arizona in '79.
• Iowa’s win over Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium drew 40,518 fans, marking a record low for the event that began in '86 at the old Tampa Stadium

Meanwhile, with the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl falling on New Year's Eve for the first time, the bowl drew 38,206 fans for Texas A&M-N.C. State. That marks the Jacksonville-based event's lowest attendance since '56. Also on New Year's Eve, Oklahoma State-Missouri in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl drew 56,862 fans, its best mark since the '15-16 bowl season. On Saturday, the Belk Bowl saw 48,263 fans for Virginia-South Carolina, the Charlotte-based event's best figure since '11.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the organization "should if possible increase the size" of the '22 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams, up from 32. Infantino, speaking today at a sports conference in Dubai, also said that FIFA was "seeing whether it would be possible for some of Qatar's Gulf neighbors to host some of the matches." FIFA in '17 voted to "increase the size of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams" starting from '26. But since then, Infantino has been "mulling the possibility of bringing the change forward" to '22 (REUTERS, 1/2).

The PGA Tour Houston Open will "return to Houston" in '20 if the City Council at its meeting today approves a nearly $14M plan to "renovate the Memorial Park Golf Course." City officials said that funding "would come from the Astros Golf Foundation and would not result in higher fees for Memorial Park." The foundation would pay $1M in "annual tournament fees to the Memorial Park Conservatory and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department." If the work is approved, the course would "shut down for work Monday until it is reopened" in fall '19. The '20 event would then mark the "first time in more than a decade that the major tournament has been played in the Houston city limits" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/1).

The Mariners appear to have "reached an agreement" to acquire Japanese P Yusei Kikuchi in which the left-hander is "guaranteed four years" -- three years for a total of $43M and a player option for '22 at $13M per year. The Mariners "can also extend him for four more years" at $66M after the first three years of the deal, "making it a seven-year contract." The deadline for Kikuchi to sign with a team is 2:00pm PT today; an "official announcement about the signing will likely come" before the deadline (SEATTLE TIMES, 1/2).

NBC Sports today debuts "The Daily Line" a new national radio show "focused on sports gambling." Airing out of NBC Washington's studio in Bethesda, Md., the show will be "hosted by longtime local anchor" Michael Jenkins and Tim Murrray. It will "touch on the biggest daily sports topics but will focus on their gambling angles," with "oddsmakers and sharps as guests." The show is "produced in conjunction with Westwood One." It will air from 3:00-7:00pm ET every weekday and will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Radio app, as well as a "group of radio affiliates around the country" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/29).

Dortmund F Christian Pulisic has agreed to a $73M move to Chelsea that "should see him playing" in the EPL "from the start of next season." The move makes him the "most expensive American soccer player of all time" (WSJ.com, 1/2).

Yesterday's mixed doubles match featuring Roger Federer and Serena Williams at the Hopman Cup in Australia drew a "crowd of 14,064 in Perth Arena, the highest single-session attendance in the event’s 31-year history." Federer and his partner, Belinda Bencic, "beat Williams and Frances Tiafoe in an abbreviated format" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/2).

Falcons Owner Arthur Blank and wife Angela "are divorcing" after a little more than two years of marriage (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/2).

"As a general rule, I don't interfere in internal team dynamics. I'm known Jim Lites for as long as I've been in the NHL, and I've known him to be passionate" -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, on the Stars President's critical comments towards Fs Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin last week (ESPN.com, 1/2).

"We do need to find a way to make the (Pac-12) championship game more relevant, so we’re looking at all options" -- Oregon AD Rob Mullens, on monitoring both the Inglewood NFL development and the Raiders' future Las Vegas home as potential sites for the game (MERCURYNEWS.com, 12/31).

“We don’t really care about that because it’s not on NBC” -- NBC’s Al Roker, responding to "Today" co-host Hoda Kotb mentioning the Rose Bowl in addition to the Bridgestone Winter Classic as New Year’s Day traditions (“130th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade,” NBC, 1/1).

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER writes under the header, "MLB Network Turns 10: How The Channel Became A Hit With Fans." When the net "flipped the switch to launch in Secaucus, N.J." at 6:00pm ET on Jan. 1, 2009, there "wasn't much more for Tony Petitti and Rob McGlarry to do at that point but watch in the wings and hope the rosters they assembled hit a home run." 

Also: 

• Why North Carolina "should embrace sports gambling quickly."
• Can NASCAR solve calendar criticism in '20?
• Texas AD Chris Del Conte "opens up about the murder of his father."
• What happens after you win an Olympic Gold Medal in curling? 
• That time again: Why CFP expansion "wouldn't fix anything." 

Pulisic's transfer is the 27th most expensive in the history of the sport. Players he cost more than: Aubameyang, Alisson, Vinicius Junior, Fernando Torres, Sane, Ozil, etc.

— Roger Gonzalez (@RGonzalezCBS) January 2, 2019

So great of @cbfowler and @espn crew to give credit and visual shoutout to member of crew who caught the iconic Vince Young @rosebowlgame confetti shot. Tremendous job.

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 2, 2019

‘’Twas a bad holiday for Machado’s leverage with Ysnkees: first he follows (then quickly unfollows) YES Network on instagram, now Yanks sign the only other free agent shortstop with as many (or more) all-star selections, mvp votes and gold gloves as him. #Tulo

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 2, 2019

First thing I ate in 2019 was a piece of pie. At noon. Resolutions are overrated...

— Tim Cowlishaw (@TimCowlishaw) January 1, 2019

We are back! Twitter has unlocked the account and we are ready to go for 2019!

— Jayski (@jayski) January 2, 2019

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Not ONE @nfl team with a head coach vacancy has requested to interview me. yet pic.twitter.com/ui3VS7DdI2

— Eric Stonestreet (@ericstonestreet) December 31, 2018

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “U.S. Navy Ships.”

“’Peace throughout strength’ is the motto of the U.S. aircraft carrier named for this man who professed the same policy.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “Sports Drafts.”

$200: “This MLB team feels fine about back-to-back No. 1 draft picks Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.”
$400: “We still feel for the Portland Trail Blazers, who ‘air’ed in picking Sam Bowie ahead of this guy in the 1984 NBA Draft.”
$600: “The Colts had the good fortune to follow Peyton Manning at quarterback with this first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.”
$800: “In 1969 this 7’2” No. 1 draft pick of the ABA’s New York Nets and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks chose to live in Milwaukee.”
$1000: “He was playing junior hockey in Rimouski, Quebec when Pittsburgh selected him No. 1 overall in 2005.”

“Who is Ronald Reagan?”

Correct responses to the “Sports Drafts” category:

$200: “What are the Washington Nationals?”
$400: “Who is Michael Jordan?”
$600: “Who is Andrew Luck?”
$800: “Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?”
$1000: “Who is Sidney Crosby?”