RedWingsFanatic

Forgive me if this has been discussed already, but it has been revealed that, later this week, the NHL will announce plans for the Wings to play the Chicago Blackhawks on New Year's Day in the second annual Winter Classic. The game will take place at Chicago's Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Wings To Play 'Hawks In Winter Classic

Haha, it's a real game. The unfortunate thing about this is that it probably means the New Year's Eve game is gone.

The NHL will surely find a way to get Crosby into this game. Perhaps an all-star shootout during the second intermission? Maybe he can be the honorary zamboni driver? A snowman building contest against Elisha Cuthbert?

Yeah, it was rumored to be Yankee Stadium for a while. I really don't think they wanted the last event there to be a hockey game, though. The whole while it was being discussed about being played in Chicago, I assumed it would be at Soldier Field. The fact that it will be at Wrigley Field just makes it so much cooler.

Is anybody aware of a place I can watch the game tonight on my Mac? My plans for viewing the game just fell through, and I'm sort of scrambling to find a way to see it. Thanks for the help.

Thanks so much for all of the help, everybody!

The guy who...scored?

For the record, I thought Flip made a few really nice plays tonight. Anyway, being up 3-0 feels really nice. Datsyuk and Zetterberg were just outstanding tonight. The poor Avalanche can't get anywhere near healthy, which is a shame for them, but the Wings have taken advantage of it. I'm normally not one to jump to conclusions or get ahead of things, but I'll go on record: there is NO way the Wings lose this series. The Wings are playing too well and the Av's are too banged up. It would be nice if San Jose could get a couple of wins to extend the other semi-final series a bit. See you Thursday night, guys.

You just have to think that everybody in the Colorado dressing room hates Forsberg.

Well, those first ten minutes were looking awfully Nashville-esque. But the second half of the period was pretty great. I just don't see how Colorado can beat the Wings without Forsberg, Smyth, Wolski and a hurting Hannan. Is it a coincidence that the Av's starting playing like s*** once Forsberg left? I'm not sure. If Colorado is relying that much on having him in the line-up, though, they are doomed. All four lines loooked good for Detroit, and the play of Zetterberg and Datsyuk was marvelous again. If there's one quibble I have with the Wings so far in these playoffs, it's that they need to find a way to get Holmstrom to get more involved. Franzen seems to have taken over his role, albeit on a different line, but getting a couple from Homer would be nice. Anyway, a pretty strong first period all things considered. If the Wings keep grinding like they have been, this thing might actually end in 4.

Alright, here we go. Thank you, FSN.

And, yeah, anybody that was planning on watching Versus and now cannot MUST send a letter or something. It's absolutely frickin' ridiculous. The NHL is a complete mess.

Dallas and San Jose are headed to overtime. And this inning will probably never end. I swear to God, if we miss some of the game...

FSN said they are switching over to the game at the end of the inning.

Uh oh, Versus viewers. I'm watching FSN (at least attempting to), but if the game is blacked out for some reason on Versus, everybody and their grandmother needs to write a letter the the NHL.

Iginla is sort of a boring choice. Anyway, Ovechkin takes this in a landslide.

I would literally flip a s*** if somebody threw one of those glow-in-dark octopi.

Hey, folks. Just got back from the game. I have been to a lot of games at The Joe over the years, but today was probably the most energized and awesome a crowd has ever been. The second period was just miraculous. It was a joy to be a part of.

I thought the Wings played an absolutely perfect road playoff game today. It was beautiful. I don't have enough time to post detailed thoughts, but here's this: Darren Helm was sensational. I mean, my goodness. What a treat. The entire fourth line was outstanding, and they should stick together for as long as possible. Maltby comes back? Take out Samuelsson. Helm/McCarty/Hudler was great. Osgood, it goes without saying. But I'll still say it anyway. He was superb. I just feel so much more confident with him in net. Now that it's over, this is exactly how I thought the series would play out. It certainly wasn't easy, but I think it's exactly what the Wings needed. It was tough, it was physical, it was tight. Bring on either Colorado or Calgary.

:beerbuddy: All the Wings have to do is win at home. That's it. Forget about winning in Nashville. They earned home ice advantage, now it's time to use it.

So, here's my thing. We want to be like Predators fans? Since when is being a good fan determined by your ability to make a fool out of yourself? I mean, excuse me, but I would much rather have a building like JLA, filled with fans that have been watching the Wings for years and years, than a building like the Sommet Center where half the fans probably can't name five players on their team, but sure know how to be loud! When I go to games, I don't make very much noise. I get excited when good things happen, but I'll skip out on the "Chelios is a baby" type chants, thank you very much. I don't think our fans are pathetic or should be embarrassed because we fail compensate for our lack of hockey knowledge with constant screaming.

Ok, so here's how I'm choosing to look at this. On Friday, we start a best-of-three series against Nashville, with two games at home. Forget everything that has happened so far. All of it. Chris Osgood will start, some new guys will enter the line-up and things will be okay. The series starts Friday. Good night.

Yeah, absolutely. He's been invisible. I think he has incredible potential, but he's just never quite been able to reach that next level. He's had flashes of brilliance, like during last year's first round, but it hasn't been consistent enough. He's been given great opportunities, playing with the top guys on the team at various times, but it has failed to click. He might just be destined to be a third-line player.

But, see, you're completely missing the point. I want Kronwall to be MORE physical. I just wish he would cut out the head-hunting. If I had things my way, Downey/Drake/McCarty would be the fourth line and they would get eight or nine minutes of ice time a game. I want this team to hit and I want them to make opponents uncomfortable, but there are ways to go about doing that without tarnishing our reputation. The Kronwall hits have been Tootoo-like, and I don't want any part of that s***.

Alright, I guess we'll all have to disagree a bit. I want Kronwall and the rest of our guys to play with some grit and intensity, but I think his hits this series have crossed the line a little. But, again, we can leave that rest. What I do sort of have an issue with is people saying things like "who cares if we play dirty?" or "playing dirty is fine with me." I don't want to turn into the Anaheim Ducks. And, in all honesty, if that's what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, I don't want one. I would rather remain a respectable organization than morph into a version of the Ducks just to win a championship. That's the God's honest truth. I'm not saying these Kronwall hits are signaling a dramatic shift or anything (far from it), but this affinity for dirty play is troubling. Let's be tough. Let's be ruthless. But let's be honorable.