Completing the comeback

See -- people do watch!

Now the media just need to get back on board.

The Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres brought in huge ratings on television. The 2.6 overnight rating and 5 share on NBC were the best since 1996.

Again, I can hear the naysayers -- too many bad bowl games ... of course, those were played long after the hockey game ended.

Fans appear to have come back, but the media by and large still is willing to stay away. Even in the company I work for, editorial supervisors still think the NHL is a garage-league sport -- "No one cares about the NHL."

Right. If that's the case, then why does The Associated Press have a hockey writer? Why do we spend so much time and effort writing previews for sites like NHL.com and dissecting headlines for sites such as this.

Maybe readers should ask.

THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT

1. Steven Reinprecht, Phoenix Coyotes: Facing the team he helped win a Stanley Cup with in 2001, Reinprecht recorded a hat trick and added an assist in the Coyotes' 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Reinprecht's second goal also was the 100th of his career.

2. Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames: The red-hot Iginla scored twice in the Flames' 4-2 win over the New York Rangers. Iginla has 16 goals in his last 15 games, leading Calgary to a 10-1-4 record and into second-place in the Northwest Division -- where the top four teams are separated by only four points.

3. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings: After missing five games with a back injury, Zetterberg picked up two assists in the Red Wings' 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. He has four goals and seven assists in a six-game points streak and leads Detroit with 25 goals and 27 helpers.