To quote the late, great Bob Johnson, "It's a great day for hockey".
The weather was near perfect. The ice conditions were reportedly some of the best in the Winter Classic's (short) history. Nationals Park was packed with 40,000+, and the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks played (IMO) the best Classic game to date.
"The whole day was unbelievable," Alex Ovechkin said. "This event was outstanding."
The pace was fast and the play was aggressive - due mostly to how well the ice was holding up. The glare that was supposed to be an issue was rather dumb'd down, but the two teams swapped ends in the middle of first for "even play".
The Washington Capitals came out flying in the first period, and Eric Fehr scored his 3rd Winter Classic goal on a breakaway to become the All-Time goals leader for the outdoor game.
Ovechkin made it 2-0 when he batted a rebound into a wide open net for his 17th goal of the season.
Patrick Sharp finished the first period with a power play goal.
The Caps continued the pressure in the second period as Ovechkin stole the puck from Duncan Keith off an errant pass attempt, went in 1-1 with Crawford who stopped Ovechkin's first shot. Ovechkin quickly swatted the bobbling rebound and rang the iron.
The momentum was peaking for the Caps after Ovechkin hit the post on a second rush down the ice. This time taking a shot from the right side and almost roofing it over Crawford's shoulder.
Then the penalties started to mount for the Caps. The Blackhawks went 1-6 on the power play today, but the Capitals spent way too much time in the box.
However you want to look at the game, from my stand point most of the Caps' penalties were pretty weak and should not have been called. Some were deserved, but it is supposed to be a two-way street, and the Blackhawks were getting away with a few questionable plays.
The momentum was shifting in the Blackhawks favor and the Caps were slammed with a two minor penalties that gave Chicago a 91-second 5-3. However, Washington's PK came through once again and held the Blackhawks without a shot.
"To me, that was the tipping point of the game," Barry Trotz said. "We don't kill that off, the Chicago Blackhawks are leaving here with the two points and we probably have a pretty disappointed locker room."
That good feeling didn't last long though.
Brandon Saad finished off a beautiful tic-tac-toe play from Toews and Hossa to tie the game at 2. With the assist, Toews became the All-Time leader in points in the Winter Classic with 5.
The third period was mostly controlled by Chicago, and, once again, the Capitals found themselves in the box when Matt Niskanen gently boarded Andrew Shaw. Shaw had, earlier in the play, blatantly tripped Marcus Johansson and no call was made.
The Caps killed the penalty and thwarted off a relentless Chicago offense until Jonathan Toews was called for hooking with a little over two minutes to play. The penalty was extremely weak, but it was a make up call, and gave the Caps all they needed to seal the game.
"I don't think that given the circumstances that that situation should have been called, but that's just my opinion and it's the way it goes, I guess," said Toews. "You don't agree with everything that happens out there."
In the waning seconds of regulation, Alex Ovechkin attempted to fire the puck from just inside the left circle but had his stick snapped in half by Brandon Saad. While Ovechkin pleaded his case with his arms in the air, Troy Brouwer took the puck, spun and fired a shot on the unsuspecting Crawford and scored with 12 seconds left in the game.
The eruption from the crowd was deafening, and I'm pretty sure I woke my sleepy neighbors as I dropped to my knees and screamed and cheered.
With Saad in the box for a slashing call, the Blackhawks pulled Crawford and pressured the Caps for the final 12 seconds. Patrick Kane almost scored with one second left, but Braden Holtby made his final save to end the game.
Although the hype for this game was rather stale compared to years past, this Winter Classic proved to be the best. It wasn't the idea of it or the setting, but rather the fierceness in which it was played. It was a playoff atmosphere against two teams that may not ever meet in the post season.
It's a shame the game had to end with a crappy call, but the refs set themselves up for that. However, as a huge Caps fan, I don't care how we won as long as we did.
The DC region needed the Caps to win to continue the rapid growth of youth hockey in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Hockey has a long history here, but it has never had so much hype as it does now, especially after today.
Ovechkin summed up the event for everyone here:
"I'm pretty sure that everybody is going to remember this moment for a long time," he said. "It's a great feeling. It's going to be in our memories."
News and Notes: Ovechkin had a team high 12 shot attempts, including 2 posts. He had a goal, (17) assist (14) , 4 SOG and +1. Mike Green had 2 assists. Holtby stopped 33-35 SOG; Crawford: 32-35. Brooks Orpik lead Washington in ice time with 24:44. Caps were 1-4 on the PP.
More to come...
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