As a long time BU hockey fan, I've always hated the home game during winter break. In the early days it was low attendance, low energy, low everything. The sort of game you only go to because, well, you're a fan and you go to all the games you can.

Today was this year's break game, but it was different from years past. First off, there was a large crowd. This was achieved by inviting every youth hockey group within a 75 mile radius to attend. They didn't all make it, but most seemed to be in attendance.

The other was that the game was televised live on Fox Sports New England. At 3 PM. During time that would, in most years, be the wild card round of the NFL playoffs (thanks to Shawn DeVeau for pointing that out). So we've got a game with few typical fans, a lot of kids who are more interested in the concession line than the game, and the usual dragging pace of a televised game.

Add into this that this is the team's first home game since December 2, and their second game since December 21, when they finished a 2 game set with Nebraska-Omaha. Can you guess what sort of game it was?

If so, multiply by about 7. Horrid, horrid play, an inability to make any shots, and a goaltender who was alternately taunted with "chubby goalie," "all you can eat," and "fat goalie in a little net" (a Tommy Boy reference, apparently), and you have what may have been the most dispiriting game a nationally ranked BU team played in quite some time.

How bad was it? We didn't score a goal on TWO two man advantages. Heck, we didn't score at all. A 2 to 1 shot advantage meant nothing, making the Northeastern goalie look like Jacques Plante. Oh, and the NU goalie's first name? Keni. Not Ken, or Kenny. Keni. He's Canadian, so I assume there's some sort of metric spelling thing going on.

Any why are we playing NU? The break game, for whatever reason, is always a conference game against a local or big opponent. Never Providence. Or UMass. Nope, it's usually BC or NU (and I think it's been Maine on occasion). A perfect waste of what should be a fun rivalry game.

Unrelated Fox Sports rant: all of their college hockey promos involve air horns, or the mythical "air horn guy" who blows one of these things during game. I think I can count on one hand the number of air horns I've seen at games, and I'm pretty sure all of them were confiscated. But hey, it's Fox, so why be accurate when we can try to be hip or funny?

A much better use of my time this weekend was going to see The Royal Tenenbaums, a twisted little bon-bon of a movie. Liked it, but not sure how much. I do enjoy Wes Anderson's visual style, including what may be the most thorough use of 1970s era clothing styles for a film ostensibly set in current time. Music was great, too, but if you've seen Rushmore that shouldn't surprise you. Anyway, if you get a chance to see it avail yourself of the opportunity.