Skip to main content

History in the Making - A Winter Classic to Remember



SOUTHBEND, IN — The Winter Classic this past Tuesday is just too cool to not talk about. 

Not only was it an Original Six matchup, it was held at one of the most iconic sports venues in the nation—Notre Dame Stadium. The sheer amount of history between the two teams, the field the ice was laid on and the stadium itself is amazing. You have two teams that have played in the NHL for over 90 years together, two teams that have multiple Stanley Cups under their belts (each team has six), and two teams that celebrate every tiny bit of their history.

Then, you have Notre Dame—with Touchdown Jesus overlooking the stadium, the iconic “PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY” sign, the enthusiastic and immediately recognizable fight song—it would be remiss to say that this venue was just another stadium. And I’m so glad this was where the NHL decided to play the Winter Classic this year.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to this one--though I’d definitely planned it out a couple of times while daydreaming--but watching it from home still gave me chills. 

Both teams used uniforms from the 1930s, symbolic of when the teams won Stanley Cups. The Bruins donned their gold, brown and white jerseys with a big ‘B’ in the center, which the Hawks rocked classic white and black striped sweaters with a new take on the old crest in the center. From an aesthetic perspective, those jerseys were slick—I know the Blackhawks are wearing them for three upcoming games, but I hope the Bruins break theirs out again for a couple games, too.

Unfortunately, it rained the day before the game, so neither team could practice out on the ice in the stadium and instead practiced in the same building where the Notre Dame hockey team plays. But, the next morning, they followed through on a really, really cool tradition.

The Blackhawks walked from iconic Hesburgh Library to the stadium, just like the football players do, passing by hundreds of not thousands of fans that showed up on the cold morning to catch even a glimpse of them before the game. The boys all looked great, and it was so cool to see them walk the same route to the stadium as the football players do before games, per tradition.

Not to mention, the conditions were perfect. There was little to no wind, which is an odd problem that outdoor games sometimes face--wind messes with the puck more than you'd think. On top of that, it was overcast the entirety of the game, meaning there wasn't a glare on the ice surface at all, which helps both teams keep an eye on the puck. On top of that, the temperature hovered around a chilly 35 degrees most of the afternoon. The conditions couldn't have been more perfect.

Even though the game didn't end up quite the way I wanted it to go, it was still a fantastic game--the Hawks looked great until they took those three consecutive penalties in the third period that ultimately killed them. The game was close most of the way, and I must say, it was one of their more impressive outdoor games to-date. I'll definitely remember this one, as it's been my favorite of any outdoor game thus far.

Still, the Blackhawks' record stands as 1-5 in outdoor games, and a meager 0-4 in the Winter Classic.

As cool as all of this was, I'm definitely in the camp of 'no more outdoor games for the Blackhawks.' I love these games, and I think it's awesome for guys to play outside, where the game originated and found its beginnings, but I also think it's time for other teams to get this awesome chance to play in a really special and spectacular game. This also goes for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals--you guys have all had a couple recently, it's time to bring the outdoors to some different teams.

I'm excited to see Dallas getting the Winter Classic next year--TBD on how the ice fares in 50-to-60-degree weather as per the January average down there. It'll be interesting to see who the Stars and the NHL select as the opponent--I'm hoping it's either Nashville or Minnesota, personally, since I think the NHL could really make those into rivalries.

I'd love to see other teams get a shot at this, as I think there are a lot of franchises that would really benefit and grow the sport with an outdoor game. The first team that comes to mind is the Carolina Hurricanes--they would suit an outdoor game very well, but I'm not sure if the NHL thinks the market is big enough down here.

Long story short, I love the Winter Classic and the other outdoor games that we see throughout the season. It's a great idea, and I know it can certainly help grow the league to new heights.



So, how 'bout them Hawks? I thought they looked pretty good against Colorado on Saturday, pulling out an overtime win in the Mile-High City, and I really thought they stuck with it throughout the game. I know the Avalanche are in a bit of a slump right now, but I'll take wins and points where I can, folks, and the Hawks should, too.

They looked less impressive against the New York Islanders last night, and to be honest, didn't really deserve the point they received with the overtime loss. I thought Collin Delia looked spectacular, and obviously Patrick Kane's goal was a beauty, but, yeah, not their best outing. Too many late penalties, again.

Either way, they're not sitting at the very, very bottom of the league anymore, so that's a nice little silver lining for your lovely Friday. It looks like, at the very least, the Hawks are maybe, just maybe, starting to trend up.

Might take a while to get back to where they're used to being, but baby steps.

Are you in?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Checking In - Breaking Down the Blackhawks' Play Over a Month

CHICAGO, IL — I’m going to be absolutely real with you—I had no idea what to write about for the blog this week. I’ve written about the Blackhawks being good, bad, and everything in between, I’ve written about Patrick Kane a couple times now (#Kane4Hart), and I’ve even written about the best goal celebrations from the Hawks this season. The idea tank is running dry, my friends. So, I thought we could throw it back to a post I made a while back about what the Hawks really needed to do to make the playoffs, and grade them on how well they're meeting all three of those items a couple of weeks later. Let's just get right on into it, shall we? 1) With 27 games left, you have to go 18-9 to get to the 88-90-point range that would potentially get them into the playoffs. So, the Hawks currently sit at 71 points through 70 games, and since the date of this article (February 8th), the Hawks have gone 9-6, which is not terrible, but also only gives them a b...

Another Hat Trick for Patrick Kane Sends Hawks Into Fifth Straight Win

CHICAGO, IL -- The Hawks are certainly on a hot streak. In the past week and a half, they've beaten some of the top teams in the league--and have made it look way too easy. Tonight was no different. I was a bit worried about this game, only because the Pittsburgh Penguins are a team to reckon with. But, with guys like Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary out due to injury, and the fact that they're coming off a loss to the Dallas Stars last night... The Hawks did have the upper hand to begin with, I think. But, the Penguins came out strong and tough, as usual, and the Hawks certainly rose to the challenge. The first period was basically a bust. I thought the Hawks had some great shots on goal, but Marc-Andre Fleury played incredibly well that first period and prevented anything from going through--even back-to-back Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook wristers. I was a little frustrated with the refs blatantly ignoring calls on both sides. The Hawks did manage to draw...

Break-Up Day - Blackhawks End of Season Locker Room Clean Out

CHICAGO, IL — After a nice finish on the season with wins over the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars (and a loss to the Nashville Predators that we're going to ignore), the Blackhawks are officially in the off-season. The team held their annual locker room clean out, and I thought there were a lot of great takeaways from the clean out day. Obviously, the Hawks didn’t finish where they wanted to, but I think that was made up for when they moved from the 12th overall pick to the 3rd pick in the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery that took place on Tuesday. I’ll probably do a quick piece on who the Hawks should be looking at and what their options are for the draft in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for that. But, in the meantime, lets go over some of the topics that came up in the clean out presser. IIHF World Championship The past couple of years, a handful of Blackhawks players have participated in the IIHF World Championship, which takes place in early May. A coup...