The Winter Classic will be held in Chicago at Wrigley Field next year and I have not heard much positives from Canadian fans about this choice.
I have asked many people what they think about this and they suggested Toronto and Montreal at the Rogers Centre or Ottawa and Toronto. Other answers I received were the New York Rangers at Montreal, Boston at Toronto and Boston at Montreal.
The matter of the fact is that Chicago needs this. They need to be promoted more, as they only had six televised games last year really.
Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane should help attract more interest from the fans in Chicago.
The Classic being held in Chicago will give 'Hawks fans a chance to see what this team really has to offer. This is a very talented team which was playing great hockey last season until Martin Havlat was once again injured with a separated shoulder.
If these boys can stay healthy and get great goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet, this team should come out with a bang and smash in the playoffs of 2009.
The Hawks, who recently name Toews as there new captain, drew a questionable look from some peoples point of view. I have heard many things.
For example, I heard the 'Hawks are just trying to be like the Pens and make Toews the young hero of the city. I don’t think choosing Toews was a bad choice, but what about Martin Havlat? He definitely proved himself in my eyes.
In the long run, Toews could of worked his way up, but it seems to me these days the young guys are getting the call to lead their team.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is 20 years old and will turn 21 in August. Could young captains be the next trend?
Brenden Morrow practically stole the C right out from under Mike Modano’s nose. The days of vets taking the C is coming to an end and in an NHL that has eight or more teams with captains in there 20's, the new era in hockey also brings respect for the young guys.
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about 1 month ago
Great article, and here's a few thoughts:
1. Naming Toews captain was a great move. It shows the amount of confidence they have in the kid, and rightfully so, the boy can downright play. He'll be ten times the captain Cry Baby Crosby could ever dream of, and while the Vinny Lecalvier captaincy is certainly justified now, back then it was a ploy to get him to play harder.
2. The 'Hawks have definitely insured themselves for another Havlat injury, and if Toews can stay healthy, I would not be surprised to see them lock up a 5, 6 or 7 seed for the playoffs.
from about 1 month ago
HAHAH i love how you know Crosby is a cry baby i hate it how he is such a weenie all the time if he would suck it up and be like Lecalvier has become a kick player thats for sure one of the old day captains fights scores passes hits gets down dirty a true captain un like crosby o i got a scratch i cant play for 6 weeks hahah
from about 1 month ago
Crosby is a great captain. He was the team's best player in the finals AT 20 YEARS OLD even though he had to contend with the best defenceman in the game every shift. Any suggestion that Toews will be better is motivated by an overcompensation to all the media gushing over him. (And it's Lecavalier.)
However, this is only proof Toews should get the C: young guys are leading teams all the time, and Toews has the talent and attitude to do it. And I understand the thoughts that the classic should be in Canada and feelings that it isn't simply because of the pro-American Bettman bias. But it is an Original Six team, and one with TWO Calder finalists and a great young defenceman in Keith, that has now added a goalie who is not over the hill and another skilled D-man (even if both are overpaid). This is an exciting team to watch, and Wrigley is a great venue.
from about 1 month ago
MJ, two things:
1. Yes Crosby was the Pens' best player in the finals, but that was not a hard honor to earn as the entire team, aside from one game, played like they were still playing the Senators or Flyers. And it was not Lidstrom who was matched up with Crosby, it was Zetterberg, and his ability to shut him down is a major reason he won the Conn Smythe.
2. Crosby's image as a good captain is ten times more overblown than that of Toews' ability to be one. Yes the kid is talented and you cannot take that away from him, but he is not the captain of that team. The only reason is that the C on the front of his jersey makes the NHL look good and sells a few more jerseys. Do me a favor and the next time you watch a Pens game and their losing towards the end of the game, watch him when the camera inevitably focuses on him during a stoppage. He'll either be whining, sulking, or staring into space. Sorry man, that is not what a captain does.
about 1 month ago
i think that toews being captain is amazing, and the winter classic is gonna be amazing
from about 1 month ago
Yes sir!
about 1 month ago
Great read, Branden. Like the choice of Toews as Captain and the winter classic at Wrigley what a gem it will be.
from about 1 month ago
thanks it should be kick ass for sure
about 1 month ago
The Wings were a little put off by the fact that since they're playing in Chicago, Detroit won't get to host one for a while. I think it should've been Toronto vs/at Detroit. But I guess, well, I know, Chicago needs the spotlight.
And, come to think of it, there are a lot of cities that just aren't capable of hosting a Winter Classic, so it'll get around to Detroit sooner than I thought. Plus, Detroit doesn't need to 'build' its fan base with a gimmick... Their fans are always going to be there, even if Cherry is mentally incapable of seeing that.
And I agree that Havlat would've been a good choice for captain.
-Sidenote, I'm hoping to go to the game this year! I'm already excited and it's six months away and I don't have tickets, haha.
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