gdt 1/1 Winter Classic 2014 GDT: Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 2 (F/SO)

[pucktividi 472]

Very good game by our team despite the loss.If we could put the same effort every game we'd be fighting with the Pens and the B's for the the #1 spot in the east.

[syntax 359]

Had a great time at the game, but a win would've definitely been nice. 98% of the Toronto fans were cool.

Beer was frozen, and Ann Arbor did a horrible job as a City clearing the roads.

[Andy Pred 48 337]

great spectacle for the game, but the bottom line is we dropped below the leafs in the standings and missing the playoffs is starting to look a reality more so now. i just hope we can get a settled consistant side for the final 20 games.

[amato 3,210]

Had a great time at the game, but a win would've definitely been nice. 98% of the Toronto fans were cool.

Beer was frozen, and Ann Arbor did a horrible job as a City clearing the roads.

Oh lawd that traffic was awful!! & judging by your photo, we were sitting pretty close to each other haha

[Seraph 240]

For people who went, how was the view? I always thought the downside of playing in a giant football stadium would be that you couldn't see the puck way in the back.

[Euro_Twins 4,475]

great spectacle for the game, but the bottom line is we dropped below the leafs in the standings and missing the playoffs is starting to look a reality more so now. i just hope we can get a settled consistant side for the final 20 games.

You mean 40 games right?

[marcaractac 3,961]

great spectacle for the game, but the bottom line is we dropped below the leafs in the standings and missing the playoffs is starting to look a reality more so now. i just hope we can get a settled consistant side for the final 20 games.

Please... We'll be 2nd or 3rd in the division by season's end.

Edited January 2, 2014 by marcaractac

[kipwinger 8,496]

Are there two more competent players to perform a two-on-one than Zetterberg and Alfie? If you're a defender and that happens you've got to just be happy that they don't somehow magically score two goals on that one.

[RedWang 422]

You mean 40 games right?

This months schedule is by far our hardest stretch of the season. And the way weve been blowing leads/games against bad teams that we should beat, you can only hope we continue to play good against the really good teams.

Injuries, as always will be a factor, as well as wether or not Howie can find his game.

I think this month will make or break the teams chances of makin the playoffs. We simply cannot afford to be a sub .500 team for 3 striaght months and expect to make the playoffs.

Just my 2 cents.

[rrasco 1,312]

For people who went, how was the view? I always thought the downside of playing in a giant football stadium would be that you couldn't see the puck way in the back.

Depends. I was on row 12, couldn't see the puck. Moved to the first row for awhile after people started leaving, then moved up about half way in the third and those seats were great. Could see the entire ice from there. I forgot to snap a picture from up there though. They were not checking tickets so you could pretty much go wherever you wanted.

Edited January 2, 2014 by rrasco

[Dabura 12,206]

Please... We'll be 2nd or 3rd in the division by season's end.

Honestly, I don't think that's a given.

As others have said, this month will probably make or break our season. And, right now, I don't have a ton of faith in our ability to play really well against the league's better teams. We're struggling to score, Howard has issues, our D sucks, we can't hold a lead to save our lives, we can't come back from a two-goal deficit to save our lives, Datsyuk is playing with Abdelkader/Cleary and Bertuzzi/Cleary, and we can expect about 1,500 more injuries between now and next Thursday, and if you mix red and white you get PINK.

And let's not forget all the wonderful things the Olympics could do for our chances. Z, Alfie, Kronner, Mule, Kindl, Tatar all injured going into March? HELLZ YEAH

[kipwinger 8,496]

I sure hope that the talk of a trade for a defenseman is serious because right now our defense is terrible. Not good in any capacity. We don't move the puck, and we don't shut teams down. I'd rather we do one or the other really well than do both moderately well.

[amato 3,210]

For people who went, how was the view? I always thought the downside of playing in a giant football stadium would be that you couldn't see the puck way in the back.

I was row 68 & was very pleased with the view. It didn't feel nearly as far as it sounded. Hard to see the puck at times but it was great for seeing plays develop and I don't know how much closer I'd even want to sit with the rink in the middle of the football field and all..

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Simon Dingley @SimonDingleyCBC

Follow

Check out parking prices 1 km from the Big House!

9:27 AM - 1 Jan 2014

[Z and D for the C 712]

If all stadiums were like that (108,000,outdoor/indoor) and tickets were 20 dollars, wouldn't they make the same amount of money if charging 50-100 for tickets at the Joe seating 38,000?

Well, bigger stadiums are more expensive and the Joe only seats a little over 20,000.

[vladdy16 2,154]

This game tied for NBC's highest overnight ratings for a regular season game. The game it tied? 2009 Winter Classic. I'm picking up on a theme here.....

[BottleOfSmoke 5,965]

What. An. AWESOME. Experience! View from our seats was fantastic (upper 60s, kitty corner from end zone). Leafs fans were awesome, some good natured ribbing but overall a good feeling of camaraderie both days. Felt like crowd was pretty evenly split, though Leafs fans were louder. It was SO COLD and conditions on the ice were s***tastic, but everyone seemed like they were having a blast. Nothing to complain about for me as far as effort/gameplay, except the shootout has to go. Another overtime 5 of 3 on 3 would have been a far more satisfying end to the game.

f*** getting out after the game, though. Didn't get home until almost midnight between traffic and s***ty roads. Also people had a hard time getting in and a lot arrived late.

Worth every minute and frozen digit

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

NHL Player Safety ‏@NHLPlayerSafety 17m

Toronto's Joffrey Lupul will have a hearing Friday afternoon for cross-checking Detroit's Patrick Eaves

[BottleOfSmoke 5,965]

WC is up on youtube:

[Kmahrle83 61]

What. An. AWESOME. Experience! View from our seats was fantastic (upper 60s, kitty corner from end zone). Leafs fans were awesome, some good natured ribbing but overall a good feeling of camaraderie both days. Felt like crowd was pretty evenly split, though Leafs fans were louder. It was SO COLD and conditions on the ice were s***tastic, but everyone seemed like they were having a blast. Nothing to complain about for me as far as effort/gameplay, except the shootout has to go. Another overtime 5 of 3 on 3 would have been a far more satisfying end to the game.

f*** getting out after the game, though. Didn't get home until almost midnight between traffic and s***ty roads. Also people had a hard time getting in and a lot arrived late.

Worth every minute and frozen digit

Yeah i live about 40 min from ann arbor, left at 10 am, didn't get there until start of 2nd period. Had 10th row, and while a small portion of the near side ice was blocked, it was still pretty easy to see what was going on. Leafs fans were fun, and I honestly think there were more of them than us. The snow made it awesome but it was very very cold. My pregnant wife started feeling like she HAD to lay down so unfortunately I had to leave as the shootout started. I had my dad drop my wife and I just outside the stadium on Main st. and picked us up there too so no paying for parking but, it DID take us 2 hours to move just one mile down main st after, and 5 hours total to get home. At one point I looked around and people had a good inch or two of snow built up on their heads lol. Overall a fun experience and everyone was cool except after the shootout ended a leafs fan that also left early came up and put his hand right in my face and yelled "good win, oh yeah" and then shoved my face while I was trying to keep my preg wife from falling.

Before I could even go after him his buddy socked him in the arm and said "what the hell is wrong with you man, he's holding his pregnant girl, and then apologized" But overall all the leafs fans were awesome. Good game, terrible traffic, cold as all hell but I'd do it again in about half a second.

[rrasco 1,312]

Yeah i live about 40 min from ann arbor, left at 10 am, didn't get there until start of 2nd period. Had 10th row, and while a small portion of the near side ice was blocked, it was still pretty easy to see what was going on. Leafs fans were fun, and I honestly think there were more of them than us. The snow made it awesome but it was very very cold. My pregnant wife started feeling like she HAD to lay down so unfortunately I had to leave as the shootout started. I had my dad drop my wife and I just outside the stadium on Main st. and picked us up there too so no paying for parking but, it DID take us 2 hours to move just one mile down main st after, and 5 hours total to get home. At one point I looked around and people had a good inch or two of snow built up on their heads lol. Overall a fun experience and everyone was cool except after the shootout ended a leafs fan that also left early came up and put his hand right in my face and yelled "good win, oh yeah" and then shoved my face while I was trying to keep my preg wife from falling.

Before I could even go after him his buddy socked him in the arm and said "what the hell is wrong with you man, he's holding his pregnant girl, and then apologized" But overall all the leafs fans were awesome. Good game, terrible traffic, cold as all hell but I'd do it again in about half a second.

Man, that's horrible. The traffic and that dumb Canuck. We left about 10 and got there at 1130. We took a back road and parked 2 blocks away at a friend's house. It did take us a few hours to get out of Ann Arbor though, but we got back to New Boston about 730-8. In general it seemed to be a very long hockey game. Much longer than a typical 3 hour game. Lots and lots of leafs fans, but most of them were really cool. There were a few eh-holes but there always are in a crowd that big. We met a lot of cool ones at Comerica.

We should have had a LGW meetup. So many of us were there and usually don't get to meet up in person. Although, with events like this so much going on that gets hard to coordinate.

[Kmahrle83 61]

Man, that's horrible. The traffic and that dumb Canuck. We left about 10 and got there at 1130. We took a back road and parked 2 blocks away at a friend's house. It did take us a few hours to get out of Ann Arbor though, but we got back to New Boston about 730-8. In general it seemed to be a very long hockey game. Much longer than a typical 3 hour game. Lots and lots of leafs fans, but most of them were really cool. There were a few eh-holes but there always are in a crowd that big. We met a lot of cool ones at Comerica.

We should have had a LGW meetup. So many of us were there and usually don't get to meet up in person. Although, with events like this so much going on that gets hard to coordinate.

Yeah, that's the only issue I had with a leafs fan at all. There was plenty of friendly back and fourth banter and all that but it was all in good fun. The guy behind me after alfie scored tapped me on the shoulder and jokingly says "you know that goal was bull right? every goal scored by alfie should automatically count for a Canadian team". LoL

I thought my section was going to riot on the overtime horn when Z was goin in alone. I don't get it, they played 20 min periods and stopped at the 10 min mark to clear ice. But, during a 5 min period they HAD to stop at the 2:30 second mark? It's almost as if they wanted to get the shootout for ratings and made that call up as it happened. The leafs fans around me were also kind of confused but relieved because they were certain the game was over if Z got the shot off.

[rrasco 1,312]

Yeah, that's the only issue I had with a leafs fan at all. There was plenty of friendly back and fourth banter and all that but it was all in good fun. The guy behind me after alfie scored tapped me on the shoulder and jokingly says "you know that goal was bull right? every goal scored by alfie should automatically count for a Canadian team". LoL

I thought my section was going to riot on the overtime horn when Z was goin in alone. I don't get it, they played 20 min periods and stopped at the 10 min mark to clear ice. But, during a 5 min period they HAD to stop at the 2:30 second mark? It's almost as if they wanted to get the shootout for ratings and made that call up as it happened. The leafs fans around me were also kind of confused but relieved because they were certain the game was over if Z got the shot off.

In the third and OT they switched sides halfway through. I only saw it up there once, but they had an explanation on the screen about that sometime during the first or second. Same reason the SO took place on the same side of the rink, they don't want the weather to affect one team adversely so they want them to spend the same amount of time on each side of the ice to make it even. Not that I agree with that, but that's why they did it.

Edited January 2, 2014 by rrasco

[Spongewingredpants 75]

what a great spectacle this was. Good for hockey. However, it doesn't hide the quiet and continuous slide out of the playoff picture.....

[Euro_Twins 4,475]

NHL Player Safety ‏@NHLPlayerSafety 17m

Toronto's Joffrey Lupul will have a hearing Friday afternoon for cross-checking Detroit's Patrick Eaves

I hope he gets at least 10 games. Throw the book at him Shanny