The only thing missing for the Chicago Blackhawks was a victory. It's the one element an organization that has done just about everything right for the past year couldn't come up for this memorable event, but it didn't look like anyone leaving the resplendent Wrigley Field on a forgiving winter day was complaining.
After all Chicago fans are witnessing an elite team in the making before their very eyes, which is why it didn't really matter that the 'Hawks were given a little schooling on this day by the reigning Stanley Cup champs from Detroit. The Blackhawks may not yet be quite in the same class as the Red Wings, but they have an exciting and talented team, the youngest in the NHL, and should provide a lot of thrills to their long suffering fans for years to come.
In the meantime, the Blackhawks are having a superb season and on this day, they put on a great show in every sense of the word.
"The Chicago Blackhawks are going to set a new standard for the NHL in marketing," Detroit coach Mike Babcock gushed when it was all over.
He may be right. The team has reconnected with its fans since a new administration took over in September 2007, and has brought the buzz back for hockey in the Windy City. The Winter Classic simply put an exclamation mark on the efforts.From the incredible backdrop Chicago created at the ball park, to the added touches of introducing local sports legends (Blackhawks Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Denis Savard and Cub s Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins) to the spectacular opening ceremonies that included a military jet fly over, the organization paid attention to every detail.
The game was pretty good too, fast paced, with lots of scoring, creative play making, even some hitting and flared tempers. It made for a much better contest than last year's Winter Classic in Buffalo, although some of that can be attributed to the weather man. The temperature at game time was a tolerable 31 degrees, the sky was cloudy enough to prevent any sun glare for the players, and the specialized ice making equipment purchased by the league impressed the players who were skeptical after skating on the surface for the first time 24 hours earlier at practice.
"The ice was a lot better today," said Detroit defenseman Brett Lebda, a Chicago native who happened to score the winning goal. "With this new system the league has, I think they'll just get better and better."
But they'll have a tough time topping this.
"It was a very special day for us in large part because of where we were," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "This unique place has had its share of great moments and we'd like to think that today is up there with those.
It was.
