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Windy City Winter Classic Official...Mats, the Big RUMOUR, and Drake

July 16, 2008, 12:48 PM ET [ Comments]
Eklund
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BLACKHAWKS TO HOST RED WINGS AT HISTORIC WRIGLEY FIELD
IN NHL WINTER CLASSIC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY



NEW YORK (July 16, 2008) – The Chicago Blackhawks will host the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field in NHL Winter ClassicTM 2009 on New Year’s Day. The 701st all-time meeting of the clubs – no NHL opponents have played more regular-season games against each other – will begin at the memorably unique venue at 1 p.m., ET/Noon CT.

NHL Winter Classic 2009 will be the second regular-season outdoor NHL game played in the United States (the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium last New Year’s Day) and the third regular-season outdoor game in League history (the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium Nov. 22, 2003). Several of the game’s brightest stars will be on display, including the young Blackhawks tandem of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and new addition All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell. The Stanley Cup champion Red Wings boast an All-Star roster that includes Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Chris Osgood and newly acquired Marian Hossa.

"The NHL is delighted to bring its most historic rivalry to one of the most historic venues in sports," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "We thank Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough for their vision. We thank Mike Ilitch and the Red Wings for their cooperation. And we thank Mayor Daley, in advance, for the warm welcome we know the City of Chicago will extend to our newest tradition.

“We also acknowledge the interest and efforts of the New York Yankees and the City of New York throughout the NHL Winter Classic 2009 site selection process,” Commissioner Bettman said. “We look forward to continuing discussions regarding the possibility of playing a future Winter Classic game at the new Yankee Stadium."

NBC will provide live broadcast coverage of the game in the U.S. In Canada, CBC and RDS will televise the event live. NHL Radio on Westwood One will provide coverage for radio stations across North America and XM Satellite Radio, and NHL.com will provide extensive digital video coverage. More detail on the NHL Winter Classic will be announced soon.

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Ek:

To start with, I really wanted to thank you all for making the last 30 days unbelievable in terms of traffic here at Hockeybuzz.com. Your support of our site is really humbling to all of us involved. This is what is phenomenal about hockey fans to me. THERE IS NO OFF-SEASON.

Between June 15th, and July 15th. Per Google Analytics, users have visited our site 5 million times and viewed 18 million pages. All of this has made us climb the ranks in terms of our ranking among all websites.

Alexa ranks websites and among the billions of sites out there (on every topic imaginable) Hockeybuzz.com is now the 344th most popular website in all of Canada and the 4,214th in America.

Your loyalty and support blows our minds and I truly wanted to thank you..

Now for the rumours...

Shortly after 1 am last evening a source informed me that he was hearing "major news" involving Mats Sundin was likely on its way in the next 48-72 hours. When I pressed the source he could tell me no more and told me "not to hang my hat on this, but he had heard it from 'pretty much as close to the situation as you can get' but that his source even told him that the situation continues to be very tenuous.

I truly get the sense that it is a two team race right now between the Habs and the Leafs.

That is not to say the Canucks and Rangers aren't still alive, but it truly feels as if, based on talking about Mats to WAY, WAY, WAY too many people..it is a two team race.


3-Way Anyone?


So the rumour that Kevin Lee has been way out in front of is getting more and more legs behind it in the "other" press...It is rare that rumours of three-way deals make it that far, so when Don Brennan in the Ottawa Sun confirms that the rumour is out there, we have to be intrigued....

In the Ottawa Sun, Brennan called it "a hot rumour in NHL circles."
Brennan says the rumour he is hearing is:
Kings get: Martin Gerber and Andrej Meszaros
Hawks get: Anze Kopitar
Sens get: Nikolai Khabibulin and either Brent Seabrook or Cam Barker

As for Kevin and me, we are hearing similar names.

However I don't think that the Sens are giving up nearly enough in Brennan's deal..

The Names I am hearing include these...

Sens get: Khabibulin,Barker and Sharp
Kings get: Gerber, Seabrook and Neil or Vermette
Hawks get: Ersberg,Preissing ,O'Sullivan and Vermette or Neil


What do you all think?

So Long Dallas...

Finally, There are those few moments covering hockey that are just awesome.

One for me came on the ice following the Wings Cup win where I saw Dallas Drake's wife and kids as they tried to find their Dad. It was one of those moments that gripped me. 16 years she has seen Dallas fight in the trenches for this moment of glory. The sacrifices she made, the many nights when she was alone with the kids as Dallas traveled, etc..it all hit me as I followed her to try and find Dallas on the ice. I have been told by countless people the Drake's wife is a special person..I hope this video helps you feel a bit of what I was feeling, which I know was just the smallest bit of what they were feeling.

You can tell by the way Dallas' kids go up to him, he is a great dad.

Part 1



Part 2





Bonus. "Burt the Dog" Goes Corporate

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