2009 NHL Winter Classic
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Date | January 1, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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Venue | Chicago, Illinois | |||||||||||||||
Attendance | 40,818[1] | |||||||||||||||
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The 2009 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2009) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The second edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Chicago Blackhawks against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the 701st game between the Central Division rivals.[2] The Red Wings won the game, 6–4, despite falling behind 3–1 in the first period. It was the first Winter Classic to involve at least one of the Original Six teams, and the first to feature teams from the Western Conference.
The two teams wore vintage-style uniforms, using Reebok Edge equipment and material. The Red Wings wore a version of the sweaters worn by the Detroit Cougars in 1926–27, their first season in the NHL, but with their familiar "Winged Wheel" logo on the shoulders. The Blackhawks wore sweaters which were a mix of their 1936–37 sweaters and their 1937–38 sweaters, with the design from 1936 to 1937 and the chest crest from 1937 to 1938.[3]
Host selection
On May 29, 2008, TSN reported that Chicago was chosen to host the annual outdoor game over New York City, the other host finalist for the game. A game in New York City would have been played at the original Yankee Stadium, which closed after hosting the New York Yankees from 1923 to 2008.[4] Logistical concerns, however, forced New York out because the stadium was to be demolished; if the game had been played at Yankee Stadium, it would have been the last event in that building.[5]
Beaver Stadium, the second largest outdoor sports venue in North America and the home of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, was also in consideration, with that location likely only if the two teams were the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers; because the Penguins had played in the previous Winter Classic, this scenario was ultimately rejected for 2009.[6]
Original reports said the game was going be played at
Preparations
Construction of the ice rink began on December 16, 2008, eight days earlier than
The NHL had a Spectator Plaza outside of Wrigley Field at the intersection of West Waveland and North Clark Streets. This included ticket giveaways, live music, interactive games, ice sculpting and other entertainment on the day of the Classic.[9]
The 95-year legacy of Wrigley Field as a baseball venue resulted in several nods to baseball. The exterior of the rink was decorated to resemble the low brick wall that fronts the box seating area at the ballpark. Cubs' Hall of Famers
Pregame
The national anthems were performed by Scott Newlands ("O Canada") and Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer, Jim Cornelison ("The Star-Spangled Banner").
Rule changes
As with the
Media coverage
Television coverage of the game was handled in the
Television ratings
One reason that the NHL does the outdoor game is to promote the League on television. The television ratings will partially determine if the outdoor game events will continue. On January 3, 2009, the NHL reported that the "overnight television ratings" had increased 12% over the 2008 game. Nationally, the game had a 2.9 overnight rating and a 6 share. In Chicago, Thursday's game drew a national high of an 11.8 rating and 21 share, with Detroit second at 10.5 and 21 (this despite that yet again, a Michigan-based team was playing in the
Game summary
Jan 1, 2009 | Detroit Red Wings | 6–4 | Chicago Blackhawks | Wrigley Field | Recap |
The Red Wings dressed seven defensemen for the game, as they did in their prior game, to account for Nicklas Lidstrom returning from an ankle injury. Healthy scratches included forward Tomas Kopecky and defenseman Derek Meech. The Blackhawks scratched forward Adam Burish and defenseman Aaron Johnson.[15] Ty Conklin started in goal for the Red Wings, making him the only player to take the ice for all three regular season NHL outdoor games (after having played for the Edmonton Oilers in the Heritage Classic in 2003 and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2008 NHL Winter Classic). During the intermissions, members of the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band and the Northern Illinois University Huskie Marching Band played on the field to entertain the crowd.
The first three combined goals were scored on the
Detroit scored the next five goals, the first two from
Scoring summary | |||||
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Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
1st | CHI | PP )
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Martin Havlat (18), Brent Seabrook (7) | 3:24 | 1–0 CHI |
DET | Mikael Samuelsson (8) (PP) | Henrik Zetterberg (18), Marian Hossa (18) | 9:50 | 1–1 | |
CHI | Martin Havlat (10) (PP) | Kris Versteeg (20), Brian Campbell (21) | 12:37 | 2–1 CHI | |
CHI | Ben Eager (7) | Martin Havlat (19) | 19:18 | 3–1 CHI | |
2nd | DET | Jiri Hudler (14) | Marian Hossa (19), Henrik Zetterberg (19) | 1:14 | 3–2 CHI |
DET | Jiri Hudler (15) | Brian Rafalski (24), Nicklas Lidstrom (20) | 12:43 | 3–3 | |
DET | Pavel Datsyuk (16) | Johan Franzen (10), Brian Rafalski (25) | 17:17 | 4–3 DET | |
3rd | DET | Brian Rafalski (5) (PP) | Jiri Hudler (17), Tomas Holmstrom (13) | 3:07 | 5–3 DET |
DET | Brett Lebda (3) | Henrik Zetterberg (20), Marian Hossa (20) | 3:24 | 6–3 DET | |
CHI | Duncan Keith (5) (PP) | Patrick Sharp (12), Jonathan Toews (20) | 19:50 | 6–4 DET |
- Number in parentheses represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
Penalty summary | |||||
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Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
1st | DET | Pavel Datsyuk | Hooking | 0:37 | 2:00 |
DET | Red Wings Bench (served by Jiri Hudler) | Too Many Men
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2:06 | 2:00 | |
CHI | Ben Eager | Slashing | 4:52 | 2:00 | |
CHI | Dustin Byfuglien | Roughing | 7:53 | 2:00 | |
DET | Brett Lebda | Delay of Game | 11:27 | 2:00 | |
DET | Andreas Lilja | Roughing | 13:01 | 2:00 | |
2nd | DET | Marian Hossa | Goaltender Interference | 4:28 | 2:00 |
CHI | Jonathan Toews | High-Sticking
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4:35 | 2:00 | |
CHI | Brian Campbell | Tripping | 10:42 | 2:00 | |
3rd | CHI | James Wisniewski | Holding | 2:20 | 2:00 |
DET | Valtteri Filppula | Holding | 19:07 | 2:00 |
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Team rosters
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- ^ Chris Osgood served as the backup goalie for the Red Wings and did not enter the game.
Scratches
- Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Kopecky, Derek Meech
- Chicago Blackhawks: Aaron Johnson, Adam Burish
Officials
- Referees — Bill McCreary, Tim Peel
- Linesmen — Andy McElman, Dan Schachte
Lost Logo Challenge
Reebok sponsored a contest known as the "NHL Winter Classic Reebok Lost Logo Challenge," which challenged fans to find the one player on the ice without a Reebok logo on the back of his jersey. The player without the logo, therefore the correct entry to the contest, was Dustin Byfuglien of the Blackhawks. All RBK Edge sweaters have a Reebok vector logo near the top of the jersey above the player's nameplate, but this one jersey had no logo stitched in that position. Each person attending the game was given binoculars and was able to enter the contest by cell phone; television viewers could enter the contest online. Entries were accepted through the first two periods, at which time two winners, one inside Wrigley Field and one home viewer, were selected from those who chose the correct player. Each winner received an identical prize: a trip to a Stanley Cup Finals game and a $1,000 gift certificate to NHL.com.[18]
See also
- 2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season
- 2008–09 Detroit Red Wings season
- List of outdoor ice hockey games
- List of ice hockey games with highest attendance
References
- ^ Burnside, Scott (January 1, 2009). "Another successful outdoor tilt gives NHL its signature event". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ Rosen, Dan (July 16, 2008). "Blackhawks, Red Wings meet in the great outdoors". NHL.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ^ "'Hawks and Wings to sport retro jersey outdoors". NHL.com. October 25, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ TSN.CA Staff (May 29, 2008). "Report: Blackhawks to Host Next Season's Winter Classic". TSN. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ^ TSN.CA Staff (March 10, 2008). "Report: NHL Eyes Yankee Stadium Game". TSN. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ^ Wyshynski, Greg (May 15, 2008). "Yankee Stadium: Too old to host the Winter Classic?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: Star Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
- ^ Shea, Steven (December 17, 2008). "What does it take to build a hockey rink?". NHL.com. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
- ^ "NHL to transform streets outside Wrigley into NHL Winter Classic Spectator Plaza". NHL.com. December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
- ^ "Emrick to miss Bridgestone Winter Classic". NHL.com. December 31, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ Morreale, Mike G. (December 29, 2008). "Emrick: Neither rain, nor snow ..." NHL.com. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ NHL WINTER CLASSIC ON NBC DELIVERS BEST REGULAR SEASON OVERNIGHT IN NEARLY 13 YEARS. NBC press release. 3 January 2009.
- ^ Kuc, Chris (January 3, 2009). "Winter Classic draws impressive ratings". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
- ^ "Wings' game draws largest TV audience in 33 years". Detroit News. January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
- ^ Khan, Ansar (January 1, 2009). "Tomas Kopecky, Derek Meech scratched for Red Wings". mlive.com. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- ^ Schrader, Steve (January 2, 2009). "It was the wind beneath our Wings". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ "Time On Ice Report Home Team". National Hockey League. January 1, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ "Reebok and the NHL challenge hockey fans to find the lost logo at NHL Winter Classic 2009". NHL.com. December 8, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.