The Winter Classic

The 2015 Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals was held on January 1^st, 2015 in Washington, D.C. “The Sports Event of the Year” began back in 2008 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. The premiere event during the National Hockey League regular season was created to get back to the roots of where hockey started, being played outside on ponds in freezing weather. The last few years have been met with great success by teams playing in a prime city on New Years Days in ballparks or stadiums that can hold more than your average 20,000 spectators. The rink is set up right at the center of the field and there are famous performers who sing before the game and in between the periods. This event may seem like an entertaining venue, but the game is still another game of the regular season and the two points for the win are on the line.

Over the last four years, HBO has had a four part television series called “24/7: The Road to the NHL Winter Classic”. The series goal is to bring fans deeper into the lives of the players and the teams competing in the Winter Classic. The series has been met with great success but this past year, HBO decided to not continue with the series. Instead, EPIX picked up the popular series for the game between the Hawks and Caps. The series focused on the coaches, key players, injuries, the last few games teams played while preparing for the Winter Classic, the fun times, the tough times, all ultimately leading up to the final episode which is a recap of the Winter Classic.

The match-up for January 1^st was not the first outdoor rodeo for either team. The Capitals and Blackhawks have both competed in past Winter Classics, and the Blackhawks competed in the outdoor Stadium Series the NHL began in addition to the premiere outdoor event last year. The thrilling game pinned stars of the Capitals, Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom against Jonthan Toews and Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks. The event at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. attracted 42,832 fans to enjoy the anticipated game. The 2015 NHL Winter Classic was the least watched game to date, however that did not stop the fireworks brought to the game by the teams.

Before puck drop, there was a possibility of a delay due to sun glare that has been a problem the last few Winter Classics. Luckily, the puck still dropped on time for the one o’clock game. After a little over five minutes into the game, Daniel Carcillo of the Blackhawks and Tom Wilson of the Capitals both got penalties for roughing. Both players wanted to set the tone for the game and maintain their gritty identities. At the end of the first, Washington was up 2-1 with the help of a goal from the top Russian player in the league, Alexander Ovechkin. Heading into the third, the game was tied at 2. Both teams had tightened up and both were not willing to give an inch. Towards the end of the period, at 18:47, Captain Jonathan Toews was called for hooking. The game all but certainly seemed that it was heading to overtime. Toews’s questionable penalty spiced things up late in the game. With 1:13 to play in the period, the Capitals went on the powerplay that would carry over into overtime, if necessary. One minute later with 13 seconds to play in the period, #11 Troy Brouwer scored the go ahead goal. The mighty goal was met by a moshpit of the five Capital players on ice celebrating the all but certain victory. The Great 8 (Alexander Ovechkin) led his team into battle and they came out victorious at the end of regulation.

Traditionally, both teams shook hands at the end of the game familiarly how the NHL does after the conclusion of Outdoor game’s and playoff series. The Capitals came out as the dominant team and were able to get the win in front of the home crowd. The game marked the second outdoor game victory by the Capitals. While reflecting on the game, many players talked about the adjustment to playing outside and dealing with the sun and shadows on the ice. This is definitely a huge difference for the veteran NHL players but the end of the day it was just good old fashioned hockey.