Athletic Bilbao will play Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final in Madrid on Friday and their fans were very eager to give them a warm send-off (literally). Some packed into the back of a truck that followed the team's bus to the airport, while others waited there with flares and flags held aloft.

Though the flares didn't make it inside the airport for obvious reasons, the fans, their flags and what appeared to be a Marco Bielsa pirate puppet all did.

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The New Jersey Devils, praying harder than John Tortorella.

No. 1 Star: Stephen Gionta, New Jersey Devils

Gionta led the way for the Devils in Game 5, opening the scoring just 2:43 into the game and then setting up Ryan Carter for the game-winning goal at 15:36 of the third period. And that, my friends, is how you make up for going 0-for-5 in the faceoff circle.

No. 2 Star: Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers

The Rangers' captain was a difference-maker Wednesday, playing 20 minutes, leading the way physically with a game-high 6 hits, hitting a post, and scoring early in the second period to cut the Devils' lead in half. But was his goal kicked in?

No. 3 Star: Ryan Carter, New Jersey Devils

Carter scored the winner and was a part of the Devils' fourth line that was the difference in Game 5. He, Gionta, and Steve Bernier all earned praise from Coach Peter DeBoer after the game.

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Full disclosure: This entire post is just an excuse to show you this unbelievable photo by Bruce Bennett.

The New York Rangers controlled Game 5 for 40 minutes, limiting the New Jersey Devils to just 10 shots during that stretch and outscoring them, 3-0.

Unfortunately, these 40 minutes were bookended on either side by 10 minutes that they did not control. During those 20 minutes, the Devils scored 5 times on 7 shots, and that was all the offence they'd need in a 5-3 win.

It was a strange Game 5 -- "An adventure," according to Devils coach Peter DeBoer -- with all sorts of unexpected offense and strange bounces. The Devils came out flying, beating Henrik Lundqvist twice in the first five minutes. Stephen Gionta opened the scoring after finding himself alone with a rebound in front of Henrik Lundqvist. Then, just two minutes later, Patrik Elias doubled the lead when an Adam Henrique point shot pinballed around like it was teaching children how to count to 12 before deflecting off the back of his leg and in.

Five minutes later, Travis Zajac stunned the Madison Square crowd when he extended the lead with a perfectly-placed wrister off the rush.

This put the Rangers in a tough spot. They had only reached four goals in a game once this poststeason -- in the playoff opener versus the Ottawa Senators in April 12. But they were undeterred by the daunting task, and they put their game into overdrive.

Also they got some luck.

The 2013 inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame were decided on Wednesday, and making the cut were Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace and Leonard Wood.

Thomas and Wood tied with 57 percent of the vote. Wallace, the driver with 55 Sprint Cup wins who is now an analyst for ESPN's NASCAR coverage, got 52 percent of the vote. Owens had 50, and Baker and Fireball Roberts had the first tie of the first three Hall of Fame voting sessions with 39 percent.

That necessitated a re-vote for the final spot, which Baker got. The five will be inducted on February 8.

Current NASCAR team owners Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress were both on the ballot, but neither were in the top eight in the voting.

Baker: Baker won 46 races and 45 poles during his driving career which was from 1949-1976. He was the first driver to win consecutive NASCAR championships.

Owens: Owens won 9 races as a driver, including the first NASCAR win for Pontiac, and 38 races as an owner. He and NASCAR Hall of

John Calipari and Anthony Davis (Getty Images)

Just because Indiana opted not to play Kentucky at off-campus venues for the foreseeable future doesn't mean the Wildcats can't find other high-profile opponents willing to schedule a game at a neutral site.

John Calipari announced a handful of big-event games for upcoming seasons Wednesday including a multi-year series with Duke, a resumption of the North Carolina rivalry and a matchup in Cowboys Stadium against Baylor.

"When we schedule, I want to create experiences, not just games," Calipari wrote on his website. "The thing about Kentucky basketball is it's passed down from father to son. I want to schedule events that grandfathers and grandsons will be talking about 25 years from now. That's part of what Kentucky basketball is about; part of what has made this place so unique."

There's still no excuse for Kentucky and Indiana not reaching a compromise to preserve one of college basketball's most significant regional rivalries, but nobody can accuse the Wildcats of ducking top competition.

Following a one-year hiatus next season in the series with North Carolina, Kentucky will once again play the Tar Heels and Louisville either at home or on the road in alternating years. The next two seasons, the Wildcats will also participate in the Champions Classic, next season against Duke in Atlanta and the following season against Michigan State in Chicago.

The potential series against Duke is welcome news considering the two schools have built a rivalry based on their five NCAA tournament matchups yet have only faced one-another sporadically in the regular season.

Kobe Bryant and Mitch Kupchak sign their marriage certificate in 2004 (Steve Grayson/ WireImage).

With the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs in the second round for the second consecutive season, many fans and analysts have considered how to fix the team's problems given their complicated financial situation. Most people have suggested that they should trade very talented but often marginalized big man Pau Gasol for new players, but even that deal wouldn't give them many options. The fact of the matter is that their cap situation is just not very palatable over the next few seasons.

Due to those issues, some think the franchise should take more drastic measures. Kobe Bryant is set to make more than $58 million over the next two seasons, topping out at $30.4 million in the 2013-14 season — making him the highest-paid player in the league by a wide margin. At that time, Kobe will be 35 years old. And while he's still a superstar, it's hard to imagine any perimeter player that age being worth that kind of money under a restrictive collective bargaining agreement.

So, as difficult as it is to imagine the Lakers without Bryant, Beckley Mason of TrueHoop it might be in their best interest to part ways with Bryant:

@TheMerckxist, via @DownGoesBrown

• Feast your eyes on some screengrabs from NHL 13. [Operation Sports]

Preview: New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET

Except to see a different Rangers team Wednesday, and not just because they'll be plugging two Brandons into the lineup, with Brandon Dubinsky making his series debut and Brandon Prust returning from his one-game suspension. The Rangers have played fabulously at Madison Square Garden this postseason, and it's hardly possible for them to be as poor as they were in the 4-1 Game 4 loss that evened this series at two games apiece. The Rangers desperately need to get their forwards going, as Chris Krieder is the only one with two goals. Might we see a more open game than we've grown accustomed to?

Evening Reading

• Cool post on Sidney Crosby's comic book death. [The Hockey Writers]

• An open letter to Shane Doan from a Kings fan. Incredibly, it's nice. [Nebulous Verbosity]

• Kirk McLean's entire career is up for auction, if that's what you're into. [PITB]

• If the Devils and Rangers go to a Game 7, it will be shown on NBC Sports, not NBC. Why? The Senior PGA tour's got dibs. [Newsday]

• The Oilers don't need a stud defenceman just yet. [Oilers Nation]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Luke, on the screenshot of the woman behind the Coyotes' bench Wednesday night:

If you stare hard enough thru the picture like one of those Magic Eye books you CAN see Dave Tippett.....

Uncanny.

Bold Prediction: Brandon Dubinsky scores in his first game back.

Scott Skiles showboats by dribbling with his left hand (Michael Cooper/ Getty).

As now-deposed coach Stan Van Gundy's relationship with Dwight Howard fell apart, reports abounded that the Orlando Magic center had grown tired of SVG's demanding style. That wasn't terribly surprising — hardline coaches can get on players' nerves over time, particularly when there's not a clear progression towards a championship. When the Magic stalled, SVG's time ran out.

If the Magic want to keep Howard in Orlando — which seems unlikely based on at least one report — then they might need to bring in a different kind of coach. With that in mind, it's a little surprising that two of the rumored possibilities are even more intense than Van Gundy.

The first name, which surfaced Tuesday, is Utah Jazz legend Jerry Sloan. He's been nominally retired since abruptly resigning from the Jazz last season, but apparently he wants to get back to the sidelines. From Chris Tomasson for Fox Sports Florida: