Wings Top Hawks in NHL's Winter Classic

It had all the makings of a typical game at Wrigley Field: The home team jumping out to an early lead and looking primed for victory. And then, it all came unraveled. Only this time, there was no Bartman, no billy goat, no curse. Heck, there wasn't even a ballgame.

The much-hyped Winter Classic--the NHL's third-ever outdoor hockey game and second in two years--seemed like the perfect stage for the up-and-coming Chicago Blackhawks to stake its claim to the Central Division over the front-running Detroit Red Wings, who have seemingly had a stranglehold on the division since the lockout. And, at least through the first 20 minutes of action, the Hawks, on the heals of a three-point first-period effort by Martin Havlat and 12 saves by goaltender Cristobal Huet, looked destined to give the Wrigley faithful their first reason for celebration in recent memory.

Then, the Wings, with three assists from star forwards Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg, in a not-so-subtle fashion--netting three goals in the second, and two more in the third, before eventually winning 6-4--reminded everyone that, while there's little doubt the Hawks are good, real good in fact and set to contend for years to come, as the Western Conference goes, the Wings are still without a doubt the team to beat.

Not that we needed much reminding: On Dec. 30, the Wings topped the Hawks in Detroit 4-0; two weeks prior to that, the Wings blanked the league-leading and seemingly unbeatable San Jose Sharks 6-0. Manhandling their two closest competitors with such ease leaves little doubt that the Cup will almost certainly runneth through Detroit.

Four other things that became readily apparent during their Winter Classic:

The Hawks Still Have A Goaltending Dilemma

As was so eloquently put by drug pusher Mario Stanfield on HBO's acclaimed The Wire: "That sounds like one of those good problems." Oh, indeed. The Hawks are essentially stuck with two ace goaltenders and, to boot, the most expensive goaltending duo in the league. After signing goalie Cristobal Huet, a former All Star, in the offseason, to a $5.6 million a year deal, it seemed inevitable that Nikolai Khabibulin and the remainder of his $27 million contract would be unloaded. But, alas, he cleared waivers without a taker, and the two have split duties fairly equally to date, with no clear-cut starter emerging. Perhaps Huet's struggles in the Classic--six goals on 30 shots--will give Khabibulin some breathing room, but, more likely than not, the Hawks will still move him before the deadline if given the chance.

The NHL Needs The Classic

It goes without saying that there will be a Winter Classic every winter for the foreseeable future. There's even consideration being given to having several outdoor games a year, which may very well prove to be overkill, but, you can't blame the NHL for at least considering the notion. After all, the game was on NBC--more than can be said about some of last year's Cup Finals games, which, like the league's regular season broadcasts, can be seen on the lowly Versus Network alongside hunting and fighting--and, got tenfold the exposure of any recent regular season game, or even the league's All-Star game for that matter. The response was, as expected given the popularity of both teams and the historic venue the game took place in, fervent among hockey followers, but, it also gave the league rare exposure to those who wouldn't generally be interested in the sport. There's a hockey game at Wrigley Field? Yeah, how do you not watch that.

The Wings Have Two Superb Goalies

While Wings netminder Ty Conklin, victorious in goal for the Classic, may never be one of the league's elite goaltenders, he's--despite a rather shaky start at the Winter Classic, allowing three goals in the first--without a doubt a goalie that could backstop a run deep into the post-season, if need be. Conklin, like Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas with slightly less impressive stats, seemed destined to be a second- if not third-stringer throughout his career. Then, last season with the Penguins, starter Marc Andre-Fleury got injured, and Conklin got the nod, not relinquishing the role, going 9-0 to start the year, and 18-8-5 overall, until Fleury's return. Despite more than proving his worth with the Pens last year, in the off season Conklin opted to sign with the Red Wings to back up Chris Osgood. That role has increased due to Osgood's recent groin injury, and Conklin has been sharp, improving his record to 13-5-1 after his Classic victory. He currently ranks third in the league with three shutouts and figures to play often even after Osgood returns.

Chicago Still Loves Savard

It boggled many a mind: Just four games into the season, and after a win no less, to dismiss your head coach, let alone when he's a hall-of-famer and much beloved figure--but that's exactly what the Hawks did earlier this season. Just hours after a victory over the Phoenix Coyotes, the Hawks, then 1-2-1, fired coach Denis Savard, a former superstar with the team in the 80s. To boot, they replaced him with Joel Quenneville, who was on the heals of a DUI charge at the time, and is noted for coaching the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche to successful regular seasons but never winning a Cup. The city, in large part, came to Savard's defense, the Chicago Tribune even calling his firing a step backwards for the franchise, but Savard never criticized the move, and, a month after getting canned, he rejoined the organization as a team ambassador. In that role, alongside the likes of Tony Esposito and Bobby Hull, he was briefly honored before the Classic, and, if only for the way he handled his abrupt dismissal, he deserved that much.