On a day that started out magically, the Blackhawks lost the Winter Classic to the Red Wings dismally. With the 6-4 win, the Red Wings now take a commanding eight-point lead on the Blackhawks in the Central division.
The game started with a who's who of Chicago greats standing at center ice to drop the puck. Ryne Sandberg, Stan Mikita, Fergie Jenkins, Bobby Hull and Billy Williams glowed while enjoying the unbelievable spectacle of a hockey rink in the middle of Wrigley Field. Then, for the national anthem, Chicago let the country know of its tradition of cheering through the national anthem as loudly as it has ever been. If you didn't have chills by then, the fireworks and jets flying overhead would get it done.
But after all the pomp and circumstance, it was just about a hockey game. Two division rivals, who have faced each other more than 700 times in their long, storied history, played a hard-fought game. The Blackhawks struck early and often, scoring three times in the first period. Keith Versteeg and Martin Havlat both scored on power play opportunities, and Ben Eager added to the tally to make the score 3-1 by the first intermission.
The Red Wings came out swinging in the second period, as Jiri Hudler scored in the first two minutes. He repeated the feat about ten minutes later, and then Pavel Datsyuk added a goal to put Detroit ahead. The Blackhawks' defense continued its breakdown in the third as Brian Rafalski and Brett Lebda scored. Duncan Keith scored for the Blackhawks with ten seconds left but it was too little, too late.
Two things were learned from today's event. Chicago can be a hockey town again, and the Red Wings are a really, really good team. Much of the crowd at Wrigley may have been there for the spectacle, but they were still a hockey crowd who braved freezing temperatures to cheer on the Blackhawks. This wasn't a vanity event where the camera looked for celebrities. And yes, the Red Wings are the defending Stanley Cup champs for a reason. Chicago will not get the Stanley Cup back without vanquishing Detroit first. It's a shame it couldn't happen at a special day on Wrigley Field, but hopefully we'll see it happen soon at the United Center.
