NHL Winter Classic: A Bobby Hulluva day
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CHICAGO -- Many nice touches before the game, including the Red Wings putting skate guards on after they exited the ice and before they began the lengthy trek to their locker room.
The Blackhawks emerged and exited through the Cubs’ dugout, on the third base side, while the Red Wings entered and left through the visitors’ dugout on the first-base side. They had a long walk and a flight of stairs to contend with, no easy feat in pads and skates.
Before the game, on a raised platform next to home plate, a bunch of local sports greats were introduced. Among them were former Cubs pitcher Ferguson Jenkins -- a native of Canada and former hockey player, doncha know -- and Bobby Hull, more gray than golden these days but grinning widely and warmly welcomed.
As the opening face-off approached, the teams emerged from the dugouts and walked onto rubber mats on either side of home plate. They were flanked by youth hockey players wearing the Winter Classic uniforms.
The Red Wings’ coaches added a nice touch by wearing broad-brimmed black hats as they came out, looking more like Olympic athletes entering a stadium than coaches preparing for an NHL game. Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, backup to Cristobal Huet,* expressed his personality by wearing a wool cap topped by a pompom as he sat on the bench.
The national anthems were loudly applauded, a great show that didn’t fall too far short of the memorable roar that accompanied the U.S. anthem at the 1991 All-Star Game at the great, old Chicago Stadium. A military flyover and fireworks got the fans even more revved up.
The fans became participants again with a card stunt. Color-coordinated cards were left at seats, and when prompted by officials, fans held up cards that spelled out ‘Happy New Year.’ The next prompt led fans to toss the signs like huge chunks of confetti -- and it wasn’t clear if that was intended or spontaneous!
Jenkins, Hull, Denis Savard, Tony Esposito, Billy Williams and Stan Mikita were involved in the ceremonial puck drop between Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. Finally, the puck was dropped -- game-time temperature was announced as 31.9 degrees, though no wind speed was announced -- and the spectacle began.
More as we continue, including a surprise planned for the ‘second intermission stretch,’ a bow to the Cubs’ famed seventh-inning stretch entertainment.
-- Helene Elliott
* Corrected the name of Chicago’s starting goaltenderat 11:59 a.m.