hf101 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I have to say I didn't have a lot of interest prior to the game until yesterday as I caught portions of the player practices, interviews as I got ready for our annual New Years Eve Party. But I think NBC and the NHL have got it right to hold an annual big event on New Years Day. I went to the Winter Classic in Philly a couple of years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. Being able to relax and watch this game annually is probably right up there with watching the super bowl. Thought the Red and Blue sweaters for both teams were great. The game definitely got more exciting as the afternoon wore on. There were some other quality moments in the game as well, like the Zetterberg pass to Alfie's goal. Having the opportunity to play in the Classic probably was one of the reasons why Alfredsson made the right choice to sign in Detroit. Bernier played well and deserved the win. One has to wonder what might have happened though on Zetterberg's breakaway that was stopped at the 2:30 mark of OT. I'm also curious to see if Lupul will face a suspension for the crosscheck to the neck of Eaves. That should have at least been a 5 min major, imo. http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/01/video-lupul-crosschecks-eaves-in-winter-classic/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihabs1993 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I really enjoyed this year's Winter Classic, more than I had in years past. The weather was beautiful; cold and snowy. While the snow did have an impact on the play early on, the crew made the ice better as the game went on.Think Lupul incident will get a look. Also, That Zetterberg breakaway was an interesting talking point. I think the NHL should make it a rule that the clock stops, but it is basically a penalty shot with other players still trying to defend if a player has a decent scoring chance in these outdoor games. Needless to say, I am truly excited for the rest of the outdoor games this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I thought the snow added something to it, it gave the game a feel good effect. Bernier was lights out, especially early, the first period was all Detroit and when we came out still tied 0-0 I was dismayed, it was as good of a period of Hockey as a team can play and I felt and still feel we lost it/Bernier won it during that first period of play. Lupul should have gotten a major for that. Just a bad hit. Your right HF, that is what my wife kept talking about, the red and the Blue looked wonderful. Ed Olczyk in the shootout after the first Toronto shooter pointed out that Howard was exposing the five hole and that Toronto needed to talk it over on the bench and aim there. The next two shooters fired exactly where Eddie said to and both went in. I usually cannot stand Olczyk, he is such a ridiculous Black Hawks homer that he has no right to televise national games but he picked up on something after one shot in the shootout that has been killing Howard all year. If someone DVR'd it please run a copy of Olczyk's comment and send it off to Babcock would ya? And speaking of Bab's damn he looked good in his Toe Blake hat and the glasses looked right on him too. Overall I loved the game, I enjoyed the two alumni games even more however, it was great seeing all the old guys for one more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Phone hearing for Lupul on Friday. I'm curious to see what he gets as he had a 2 game suspension last March in a hit to Hedman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Clueless Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) I really enjoyed that game. Fun to relax after a massive ham dinner for an interesting afternoon hockey event. Was also fun to hear the chants of that many people fairly even across both teams. Kind of glad I didn't get tickets to see it live though. It looked really cold out there. Lupul should probably see a suspension for that cross check though. I'm not sure if he meant to specifically target the head as it looks like he started lower, but it's still a dangerous retaliatory hit that ended up in Eaves' neck. I predict he'll get a game or two plus maybe another game or two for repeat offense. Edited January 3, 2014 by Commander Clueless 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago Hawkie Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I enjoyed watching the game, along with the two alumni games, on NBC sports network. Since it was a cold, snowy day in Chicago, I was happy to spend the day at home, watching hockey and loading up on some warm coffee (and a beer ). I noticed that many Winter Classics have been tight, low-scoring games ... with the exception of the Hawks-Wings game at Wrigley Field in 2009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Combining CBC, RDS and NBC audiences, the Winter Classic was watched by an average of 8.234 million viewers in North America, which breaks the 2011 Winter Classic mark of 6.6 million set by Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin at Heinz field. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/winter-classic-makes-canadian-tv-ratings-history-8-210623604--nhl.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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