Penguins defeat Capitals in Winter Classic of sandwiches

Fret not, Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Although Eric Fehr and the Washington Capitals may have won the war at Heinz Field in the 2011 Winter Classic, the Penguins captured a significant victory in the stomach: Winning the first Winter Classic "Signature Sandwich Face-Off."

ARAMARK, the gargantuan corporate concessionaire that keeps the mustard pumps filled and cuts off your beer sales late in the game, organized a battle between two sandwiches with local ties, with fan purchases determining the winner.

From ARAMARK:

The Kielbasa Grinder (thin-sliced local kielbasa, traditional sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing piled on a rustic Italian roll) outsold Verizon Center's "The Fury" (chipotle-rubbed pulled pork, roasted poblano peppers and onions, topped with Monterey Jack cheese and a bacon adobo sauce heaped on a fresh-baked artisan roll).

Fans also determined which sandwiches were to be sold at the Classic through local sales at Consol and Verizon in the last few weeks.

We suppose congratulations are in order for ARAMARK's contest not stereotyping Washington with a Baltimorian crab cake sandwich. But even if a Kielbasa sandwich sounds perfect for blue collar town like the Steel City, it's hard to picture anything but this as the signature sandwich of Pittsburgh, no?

Silly as this competition was, it speaks to one frustrating deficiency in the Winter Classic's ancillary activities: Shouldn't there be more city vs. city fun, rather host city homogeny?

As atrocious as it was, that intermission shootout competition on NBC might have been more interesting if it had been Jerome Bettis against, say, John Riggins of the Redskins. The Classic should have that kind of balance to enhance the rivalry in the game. 

Aaliyah Katherine Heigl Lorri Bagley Leslie Bega Maria Sharapova