Winter Classic deemed Capital idea
Outdoor game is NHL hockey at its best
WASHINGTON — The NHL almost could not have scripted the 2015 Winter Classic any better.
From the time the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks took the ice at Nationals Park, through a flyover by F-16 fighter jets, an Alex Ovechkin goal and the drama of a late winner by Troy Brouwer, Thursday’s game was a showcase of top-of-the-line hockey.
“It’s a celebration of our game,” Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen said.
It was a celebration of the good and the bad. The only thing that hurt the majesty of the afternoon was a series of late penalty calls that contributed to the Capitals’ 3-2 victory and left a sour taste in the mouths of Blackhawks players.
A hooking penalty on Jonathan Toews in the game’s final minute paved the way for Brouwer’s goal with 12.9 seconds left.
“I don’t know how much that play deserved a call there, how much it had to do with maybe us getting a few more opportunities on the power play previously in the game,” Toews said.
For more than 55 minutes, this was a game so well played it would’ve been a thriller no matter the setting. Sun played a role on at least one goal, but the ice was so good the teams were able to race up and down like they were at a track meet.
Washington waited four years since the Capitals visited the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 Winter Classic to host this event. Despite concerns about sun glare, it began on time because captains Ovechkin and Toews and Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford gave the thumbs up during pre-game warm-ups.
Unlike past Winter Classics, there wasn’t a sloppy feelingout period. Eric Fehr scored on a breakaway early, his third outdoor goal in his second Winter Classic to become the NHL’s leader in that category.
The teams switched ends at the 10-minute mark of the first period to make it fair given the sun glare. Not long after that, Ovechkin scored on a rebound and Patrick Sharp answered for the Blackhawks on a powerplay goal that Braden Holtby couldn’t see because of the sun.
Even if that goal, and perhaps Brandon Saad’s in the second period that came after an odd bounce off the end boards, would have happened only outdoors, that’s part of the deal in games like this.
When the elements weren’t a factor, the facts of hockey came into play. The Blackhawks got 1:31 of a five-on-three power play in the second period, but Duncan Keith’s stick broke at the blue-line and they got zero shots on net.
A late penalty on Niskanen, a borderline boarding call, gave Chicago another opportunity. There were two seconds left on that power play when Toews got his stick across the body of Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom.
When Saad slashed Ovechkin during the ensuing penalty kill, the puck was free for Brouwer to fire it past Crawford.