Winter Classic: Red Wings 6 Blackhawks 4

Despite the final result, the winter classic in wrigley field proved to be a major success. On a national stage, the NHL had a tremendous performance on and off the rink. The game was aesthetically gorgeous in person and on television. The hawks dominated the first period due to the physical nature they displayed in the first 20 minutes. It appeared that the red wings experience allowed them to make crucial adjustements. They dominated the final two periods with their own physicallity along the boards and in front of the goal.

The game play was very similar to the indoor game. The puck didnt slide as much as it does indoors, and the staking was slightly affected as well. I noticed the power play defense was disrupted due to the difficult skating conditions, causing breakdowns defensively, leading to numerous odd man goals. Cristobal Huet has a nightmare of a game. He allowed 3 extremely weak goals through the five hole, that i have not seen from the hawk's goalies since the second week of the season. Clearly, as good as the blackhawks team is, it is not at the red wings level quite yet. We have surrendered 21 goals to the wings in 4 games, while only allowing more than 4 goals to one other team all year(league best San Jose). If the hawks plan to contend for the cup, they must bring their skill and more importantly strength for a full 60 minutes.

Still it was a great event!