Odds and ends from the 2009 Winter Classic

January 1, 9:31 PMDetroit Red Wings ExaminerMike Mouat

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The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Game time temperature was 25 degrees and the wind was 18 miles per hour from the south.

For a recap of the game action please click here (Wings win! Wings win!).

It marks the third time the NHL has held an outdoor game, and there are already some trends developing in these outdoor games.

At home on the road, part I

The road team has won all three games held outdoors. In 2003 the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton in front of 57,167 fans. Last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in a shootout at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo in front of a record crowd of 71,217 fans. This year it was the Wings heading into the friendly confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago and beating the Blackhawks 6-4 with 40,818 in attendance.

Don't take 37 shots

The losing team in all three games had exactly the same number of shots on goal. Edmonton, Buffalo and Chicago all registered 37 shots on goal in their losses. Detroit’s 43 shots on goal are the most by any team and they are the only team to outshoot the opposition and win.

All-time leaders in outdoor games

Ty Conklin, fittingly from Anchorage, Alaska, is the only player to play in all three outdoor games. As such he is the leader in outdoor games played. Conklin’s record is two wins (with Pittsburgh and Detroit) and one loss (Edmonton), and his two wins also rank as the most all-time. With his win today he is also on a two-game win streak

Brian Campbell conversely, is on a two-game losing streak in outdoor games as he lost today as a member of the Blackhawks and was a member of the Buffalo Sabres last year when they fell to the Penguins. On the bright side for Campbell with an assist today and a goal last year he is on a two-game point scoring streak, the longest such streak in outdoor games.

Jiri Hudler scored a pair of goals for the Red Wings and is tied for the most goals outdoors with Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault who scored two goals each for the Montreal Canadiens.

Henrik Zetterberg and Marian Hossa had three assists each for the Wings and are tied for the most assists outdoors.

Hudler, Zetterberg, Hossa, of the Wings, and Martin Havlat collected three points each in today’s game and are tied with Steve Staios of Edmonton for the most points outdoor.

Colby Armstrong was called for the only two penalties against Pittsburgh last year and his four minutes are the most by any player in outdoor games.

Some more interesting statistics

Hudler who was +3 in today’s game is the all-time leader in +/-. There are seven players tied at –2 at the other end of the +/- scale.

Pavel Datsyuk’s seven shots are the most taken by any player.

Paul Gaustad of the Buffalo Sabres is the hits leader. He dished out 10 body checks last season against Pittsburgh.

Staios logged the most ice time of any player in an outdoor game when he played 28:06 against the Canadiens in 2003.

At home on the road, part II

In the 2009 game the visiting Detroit Red Wings had the only two players from Illinois on their roster. Chris Chelios is from Chicago and played nine seasons for the Blackhawks. Brett Lebda is from Buffalo Grove which is approximately 30 miles outside of Chicago

Home field advantage

The intermissions were 17 minutes and the Wings needed every second of the break. Detroit’s dressing room was a three minute walk from the ice surface, meaning they spent six minutes in transit between periods, which represents 35% of the break. On top of the long walk they also had to go up and down a set of stairs just outside of their room, not an easy task in skates.

Dignitaries and celebrity sightings.

Legends from the Blackhawks as well as the Chicago Cubs (who play their home games at Wrigley Field) were honored prior to the game at center ice. From the Cubs, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg and Fergie Jenkins, and from the Blackhawks, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, and Denis Savard received ovations. Ted Lindsay who skated for both the Blackhawks and the Red Wings and Bobby Hull of the Blackhawks dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff

Celebrities seen at the game include Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers, actors Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), William Petersen (CSI), Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) and George Stults (7th Heaven); actress Joan Cusack (Working Girl, Sixteen Candles); Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan; Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak and CBS Sports football analyst and former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason

Other neat stuff

The fans were given signs to hold up when prompted which spelled out 2009 Winter Classic and Red Wings vs. Blackhawks.

The outside of the boards (facing the crowd), were decorated in wallpaper that resembled bricks to resemble the outfield wall.

Both the Canadian and American National Anthems were sung to raucous ovations from the crowd, reminiscent of the old Chicago Stadium noise, and were compete with fireworks and fighter planes

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History of the Winter Classic Jerseys

Check out the officialWinter Classic webpage at nhl.com by clicking here