January 01, 2008
NHL Winter Classic; Pens vs. Sabres
The Pens are in their throwback powder blue jerseys, while the Sabres have their old crossed-swords and buffalo crest jerseys. The snow is falling, and the players are all bundled up.
Well apparently Eric had the same idea, and is live-blogging the game over at the AOL NHL Fanhouse.
First Period: PIT 1, BUF 0
* The Penguins jump to a 1-0 lead just 21 seconds into the game. You could see the puck slow up on the snowy ice between Sabres defenders, and Crosby collected the puck and came in before Colby Armstrong knocked in the rebound.
* There's no netting around the rink today, so pucks going over the glass will travel awhile before they stop.
* Adam Mair dumps Brooks Orpik in the corner, with Orpiks landing hard on his shoulder and tumbles backwards.
* Just under 5 minutes in Buffalo takes a hooking penalty.
* After killing their penalty, Buffalo takes another one, again for hooking.
* Amp Energy had a great commercial with Ryan Miller and Jean-Sebastien Aubin having a Yo Mamma joke contest, and when Aubin fails to respond quick enough, he gets buzzed out, since a goalie only has .5 seconds to react. Check it out.
* Apparently the operations guys were clearing snow during commercials, and now they are using the 2 Zambonis to clear the entire surface of snow. They're not pumping fresh water, just clearing the snow.
* They just showed a closeup of Sidney Crosby before he lined up for the faceoff, and his usually stoic gaze seems to have a hint of unhappiness. I'm guessing he's a little cold right now.
* Play has stopped, and it looks like a chunk of ice may have come out. They operations guys are packing snow on the ice and using CO2 spray that I can only assume helps freeze everything together. The stop has given the cameras time to pan both the crowd and the benches. There's a stark difference between the rowdy crowd and some of the players, who look miserable and cold on the bench.
* Colby Armstrong clips Miller, who goes down hard in the crease. Armstrong is rewarded with 2 minutes for goalie interference.
* Both teams have clanked shots off the iron a few times already. There could easily be a few more goals.
* The ice crew was back out working on that same patch as before.
* There was a funny story mentioned about how Erik Christensen's father would steal snow off their neighbors lawns in the dark of night when Erik was a kid, so he could improve on the rink in their yard.
* The NBC Intermission Report will include a segment on Slapshot's famous Ogie Oglethorpe. I can't wait. Update: It turns out Ogie was based on Bill "Goldie" Goldthorpe of the Syracuse Blazers, for whom Bob Costas was the announcer in the mid-70s.
Second Period: PIT 1, BUF 1
* While the Pens came out strong in the first period, the beginning of the second is all Buffalo. They're cycling well and keeping the puck in the Pittsburgh zone.
* All that pressure pays off when Brian Campbell takes a cross-ice pass and wrists a top-corner shot to tie things at 1-1.
* Campbell railroads Malone in the corner, dropping Malone to the ice.
* 10 minutes in, neither team seems to be setting up offensively over the last 5 minutes or so. It's mostly up-and-down action.
* Ty Conklin nearly plays the puck outside of the goalie zone behind the net. As the puck was going through the area, he reached to control it, but pulled back his stick before he touched it just outside the zone.
* The Zambonis just cleared the ice again. There was a great shot of the end of the Pittsburgh bench, showing an umbrella over the equipment and a towel draped over the extra sticks, trying to keep everything dry.
* Derek Roy whacks the puck out of midair, and it hits the crossbar and goes out of play.
* With about 6 minutes to go Pittsburgh hasn't registered a shot on goal in the period, while Buffalo has around 15 shots.
* At the end of the period, the Pens have 2 shots according to Doc Emerick. I saw one shot that looked like it might have been on net, but I'm not sure where the second one came from. Either way, Pittsburgh can't win if they can only muster a shot or two a period. I imagine that will be a point of note for Coach Therrien between periods.
Update: According to Bob Costas, neither of the shots Pittsburgh was credited with actually hit the net, so I'm going to consider that as 0 shots in the period.
* During intermission they showed the clip of Mike Millbury going into the stands, taking off a guys shoe, and beating him with it while he was a Bruin. Possibly the greatest hockey clip ever.
Third Period: PIT 1, BUF 1
* Both goalies have made it through the first five minutes without giving up a goal. The ice is losing its sheen, so it will be harder for the players to get off good shots.
* Mair jabs Conklin in the pads at the whistle, and some Penguins take offense.
* Crosby's juggling puck move was just replayed for what must be the 57th time already. We know he's amazing. So how about someone or something different?
* I think that was the first time I've ever seen the puck get stuck in the photographer's camera cutout in the glass.
* Gretzky sent Darren Pang a text message saying he loves the retro jerseys. Good to know.
* NBC just did a promo for the Seahawks-Redskins game, and viewers were treated to John Madden's "great players in a great football game" line. Check him out on Letterman.
* At the 10 minute mark the teams switched ends, and the Zambonis cleared the ice.
* For all the ice repairs and snow falling, the ice has looked pretty good the last few minutes. Both teams have been moving the puck well and it's not bouncing too badly.
* I keep mistaking Gonchar for a porcelain doll when he's on the bench, because of his rosy cheeks and deep red-blue lips from the cold.
* Crosby goes down and looks to the ref for a penalty. No such luck, and we have 5 minutes to go.
* Eric asked earlier at the Fanhouse what would happen if the game went past NBC's window at 4. Well it's 4:03 and we've still got hockey on. I swear to God if they cut away to show "The Music of Seal on Ice" I'm going down to Rockafeller Center and killing whoever runs the programming.
* Just over a minute to go, and we're still at 1-1. And we've just gotten the thousandth reference of comparing this to playing pond hockey as kids, and how the players are like kids today.
* Armstrong gets a hooking penalty as the third period expires. It looked like Pominville mostly fell on his own, so it's a tough penalty to call.
* Buffalo can take control of the game with a 4-on-3 powerplay on fresh ice to start overtime.
Overtime:
* Another great hockey commercial, this time a dad cheering on his newborn baby by banging on the window of the nursery and yelling.
* Doc Emerick is looking for a weather update. Let me guess, snowy and windy. The only thing that has changed all game is the direction of both.
* The powerplay has been a shooting gallery so far. And again there's a quick whistle, a loose puck, some late banging, then some pushing and shoving. Both teams want to win this one badly.
* SHOOTOUT!!!
* Kotalik scores for Buffalo. Christensen skates into the net and doesn't score.
* Connolly rips one that Conklin stops. Letang dekes and roofs a backhander over Miller.
* Afinoganov is stuffed on a deke try. Crosby slips one in for the win.
* The NHL couldn't have asked for a better ending, with the goldenboy Sidney Crosby sneaking in the game winning shootout goal.
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