2011 NHL Winter Classic Hockey Game

2011 NHL Winter Classic Hockey GamePittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Washington wins 3-1

The 2011 Winter Classic was the fourth outdoor hockey game held by the National Hockey League. The game was a regular season game that featured the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. The game took place at Heinz Field, which is the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, out of the National Football League.

The game was originally scheduled for 1:00pm EST, but with rain in the area, the game did not start until 8:00pm EST on New Years Day. The game was televised on NBC throughout the entire USA. With the warm temperatures and the rain in the forecasts, officials were worried the surface may not be playable, or possibly a flooded rink. There were several contingency plans in place, such as moving the game to January 2nd, or possibly canceling the game all together. None of those mattered, as the weather only saw light rain, and no problems on the ice were discussed.

Sidney Crosby and Alex OvechkinAs New Year's Day approached weather forecasts solidified that by late afternoon the Pittsburgh region would be cooling to the 40s and eventually 30s, and major precipitation would be over by early evening for the duration of the weekend. As it turned out, the few bands of light rain in the area had no effect on the surface, and no problems were reported.

Jackie Evancho sang the Star Spangled Banner, while Mario Lemieux, Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis did the ceremonial drop of the first puck. This game was the second time the Pittsburgh Penguins played in the Winter Classic. The first time, Pittsburgh took on Buffalo in the first ever; in 2004.

There was an additional rule change due to the weather forecast. The two teams changed sides after the 10:00 whistle in the third period. That way, both teams had the same amount of time going one direction, or the other. In 2008, there was falling snow, and in 2009 heavy winds came, which greatly changed the way the game was played.

The game started slow, as neither team was able to get the puck into the net in the first period. Goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Semyon Varlamov both were excellent, stopping all 28 first period shots. The second period saw the first goals of the game. Just 2:13 into the period, Pittsburgh excited the home crowd as Evgeni Malkin scored a goal, assisted by Kris Letang. After that, it was all Washington – Mike Knuble scored his ninth goal of the season to tie the game. The Knuble goal was a power play goal, assisted by Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green. The final two games of the game were scored by Washington’s Eric Fehr. The goals were his sixth and seventh of the season, with the latter coming just after the halfway point of the third period.

There were six minor penalties in the game, with two players sent to the box for fighting. Many fans felt the highlight was the fight between John Erskine of Washington and Michael Rupp of the Penguins. All in all, there were 65 shots on goal, with Pittsburgh finishing with 33, and Washington 32. The capitals were the only team to score a power play goal in six opportunities overall.

The game was a huge success. It garnered the highest ratings of any Winter Classics. It was the most watched National Hockey League game since 1996, and the top regular season game since 1975. With it, NBC was awared the most watched network on January 1st, 2011.

The other event that took place during the weekend was the NHL Legends Game. This game was played New Years Eve; and it featured notable former players from the Penguins and the Capitals. They played just two periods, and skated to a 5-5 tied. Mario Lemieux, Peter Bondra and Alan May were a few of the high profiled names.