The Steelers' season is long over.

Terrible Towels are 50 percent off. Ben Roethlisberger is talking about signing a long-term deal instead of talking about throwing long.

Najeh Davenport is still trying to hit the hole.

The Pirates, after the signing of Elmer Dessens last week, have now been officially eliminated from playoff contention in 2008.

Dessens, who last pitched for the Buccos in 1998 and last pitched effectively when he was 8, all but guarantees a 16th consecutive losing season.

The dude is a bad right-handed pitcher and the baseball equivalent of the Grim Reaper, except the Grim Reaper has been known to get a lot more people out.

The Pitt (do they still like to be called Pitt? I forget.) basketball team is ranked 15th in the country.

But the college basketball season doesn't

really start until March. The regular season is merely an exhibition, a time to get into position to play Bethune-Cookman in the first round of the NCAA tournament instead of Duke.So, what is a fan in the 'Burgh to do in the cold winter months?Luckily, Pittsburgh is now a full-fledged hockey town.Anyone who knows me is well aware that I do not follow hockey closely, and by not closely I mean not one iota.But on New Year's Day, the Pens played the Sabres in a game held outside in the cold and snow.I watched part of that game and actually found myself enjoying it.The Penguins are the hottest team in the NHL right now, led by Sidney Crosby and that Malkin dude — I can't remember his first name, but I'm sure it has some consonants in it that don't usually go together.The Pens have captivated the area. Now if only the NHL as a whole was so wildly popular.The league took a step in the right direction with its outdoor extravaganza. I began thinking the NHL should stage more games outside.Then I realized it can't. Too many franchises are located in places where there is no ice.Here's a tip for the NHL: If a city's average temperature is too high for water to freeze, that city should not have a team. It's that simple.There should be no NHL franchise south of the Mason-Dixon Line.Give the sport back to Canada.There are currently six teams in the NHL from Canada — I looked it up. And one, Toronto, doesn't even really count. Toronto is basically New York City Lite.How does Phoenix have a team? I've been to Phoenix and the only ice to be found there is at the bottom of a glass of tea.Move that team to a place like Wood Buffalo, Alberta, or Chilliwack, British Columbia. Now those sound like a hockey towns.But for now, Pittsburgh will do just fine. At least they play in a place called the Igloo.So, enjoy Crosby, Malkin and those other guys with funny names.What the heck. I'm going to give it a shot, too.Go Pens!Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.