NHL Peachy: 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Post-Game Notes
2014 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC POST-GAME NOTES
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 3, DETROIT RED WINGS 2 (SHOOTOUT)
MICHIGAN STADIUM, ANN ARBOR -- JANUARY 1, 2014
On Whom You Know, the Winter Classic has been made famous by our pal Mover and Shaker Russ Cohen:
BERNIER EARNS ‘FIRST STAR’ WITH RECORD-SETTING OUTDOOR-GAME PERFORMANCE
Toronto goaltender Jonathan Bernier recorded 41 saves through regulation and overtime (two GA on 43 shots), the most ever in a regular-season outdoor NHL game. (He also stopped two of three Detroit shootout attempts.) Bernier passed the mark set by Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff, who stopped all 39 shots he faced in blanking the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Feb. 20, 2011 – the only shutout ever recorded in a regular-season NHL outdoor game.
The Red Wings outshot Toronto 43-26, matching their record for shots on goal in a regular-season outdoor NHL game set in outshooting Chicago 43-37 in the 2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago, a 6-4 Detroit win.
SECOND WINTER CLASSIC TO BE DECIDED IN SNOW-ACCENTED SHOOTOUT
Today’s game marked the second time a regular-season outdoor NHL game was decided by a shootout, both occurring with snow falling. For the fifth time in eight regular-season outdoor NHL games, the margin of victory was one goal.
NHL Outdoor Games Decided in Extra Time:
2008 Amp Energy NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2008
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 at Buffalo Sabres 1 (SO)
Game-deciding shootout goal: Sidney Crosby
2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2010
Fenway Park, Boston
Philadelphia Flyers 1 at Boston Bruins 2 (OT)
Game-winning overtime goal: Marco Sturm
2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2014
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 at Detroit Red Wings 2 (SO)
Game-deciding shootout goal: Tyler Bozak
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL IN THIS ‘ORIGINAL SIX’ RIVALRY
Befitting a decades-long rivalry that has seen the clubs post virtually identical records in their regular-season series – including two shootouts in two meetings this season – the Maple Leafs and Red Wings were separated by a razor-thin margin on the biggest stage in League history.
Including the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Detroit and Toronto have met 646 times in the regular season since 1926-27:
DET: 276-273-97, 649 points
TOR: 277-275-94, 648 points
MAPLE LEAFS EDGE PAST RED WINGS IN TIGHT EASTERN CONFERENCE RACE
With today’s victory, Toronto (21-16-5, 47 points) leapfrogged Detroit (18-14-10, 46 points) for the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. The two clubs had entered the day tied in points, with the Red Wings holding the tie-breaker by virtue of more regulation/overtime wins (ROW).
CLASSIC WINTER WEATHER
Today’s start time temperature of 13 degrees Fahrenheit / -11 degrees Celsius was the coldest for a regular season outdoor NHL game since the League’s inaugural event, the 2003 Molson Canadian NHL Heritage Classic, when the Edmonton Oilers played host to the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The consensus 4-6 inches of snow that is forecast to fall in Ann Arbor today also represents the snowiest day for an NHL outdoor game.
Weather Conditions at Previous Regular Season Outdoor NHL Games
2003 Molson Canadian NHL Heritage Classic, Edmonton: -2°F/-19°C, clear, severe wind chill
2008 Amp Energy NHL Winter Classic, Buffalo: 33°F /1°C, flurries
2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Chicago: 32°F /0°C, overcast, swirling wind
2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Boston: 39°F/4°C, overcast
2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Pittsburgh: 51°F/10°C, overcast, light rain
2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, Calgary: 16°F/-9°C, clear, wind
2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Philadelphia: 41°F/5°C, partly cloudy
NHL OUTDOOR GAME ATTENDANCE APPROACHES HALF A MILLION
The announced attendance of 105,491 shattered the NHL single-game mark of 71,217 set on Jan. 1, 2008, in the 2008 NHL Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. The figure pushed total attendance for the eight regular season outdoor NHL games to 468,905 and the per-game average to 58,613.
2003 Molson Canadian NHL Heritage Classic, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: 57,167
2008 Amp Energy NHL Winter Classic, Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo: 71,217
2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Wrigley Field, Chicago: 40,818
2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Fenway Park, Boston: 38,112
2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: 68,111
2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, McMahon Stadium, Calgary: 41,022
2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia: 46,967
2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor: 105,491
Total: 468,905 Per-Game Average: 58,613
VISITING TEAMS CONTINUE OUTDOOR GAME SUCCESS
Toronto’s victory improved the record of visiting clubs in regular-season outdoor NHL games to 6-1-1.
MAPLE LEAFS POST SEVENTH SHOOTOUT WIN OF 2013-14
Toronto improved its shootout record to 7-4 this season, moving within one victory of the League-leading Washington Capitals (8-4) in that category. Detroit dropped to 1-7 in shootouts in 2013-14.
SPECIAL HOMECOMING FOR VAN RIEMSDYK
Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk tallied Toronto’s first goal at 19:23 of the second period to tie the game 1-1. Van Riemsdyk played for the United States National Team Development Program based in Ann Arbor. He attended Pioneer High School, which is across the street from Michigan Stadium. He arrived in 2005 as a 16-year-old from Middletown, N.J., and stayed two years before moving on to the University of New Hampshire.
VAN RIEMSDYK SKATES IN THIRD WINTER CLASSIC
Van Riemsdyk also became the first player to appear in three Winter Classics, skating for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and 2012, and second to play in three regular season outdoor NHL games, joining goaltender Ty Conklin (Oilers in 2003 Heritage Classic, Penguins in 2008 Winter Classic, Red Wings in 2009 Winter Classic).
Four other players appeared in their second career regular season outdoor NHL game today: Detroit’s Dan Cleary, Pavel Datsyuk, Niklas Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg. Each suited up for Detroit in the 2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against Chicago at Wrigley Field.
PHANEUF NEARS OUTDOOR ICE TIME RECORD
A day after signing a seven-year contract extension, Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf earned an assist on Tyler Bozak’s go-ahead goal in the third period and finished the game leading all players in ice time (28:24). Phaneuf’s ice time total was 11 seconds shy of the record for a regular-season NHL outdoor game set by New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, who played 28:35 in the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
ALFREDSSON CONTINUES SUCCESS AGAINST MAPLE LEAFS
Red Wings forward and longtime Maple Leafs nemesis Daniel Alfredsson opened the scoring in today’s game, tallying his 11th goal of the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Alfredsson leads all active NHL players in career goals scored against Toronto (34 in 82 GP).
GLENDENING SKATES IN SECOND OUTDOOR GAME IN THREE DAYS
Rookie center Luke Glendening’s appearance in the Red Wings’ lineup today capped an unprecedented feat of playing in his second outdoor game in three days. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native and University of Michigan alumnus scored twice for the Grand Rapids Griffins in a 4-3 shootout loss Monday night to the Toronto Marlies at Comerica Park in Detroit. The game, a matchup of the AHL affiliates for the Red Wings and Maple Leafs, was part of the SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival ahead of the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.
In addition to his whirlwind week here, Glendening played in three outdoor games for the University of Michigan, including the 2010 “Big Chill at the Big House” contest versus archrival Michigan State at Michigan Stadium.
NHL FOUNDATION, HONDA TEAM TO BENEFIT RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES
With the Maple Leafs and Red Wings combining for 69 shots in today’s game (Detroit 43, Toronto 26), the NHL Foundation and Honda made a donation of $13,800 -- $200 per shot -- to the Toronto chapter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities toward programs that improve the health and well-being of children.
HBO ‘24/7’ FINALE WILL CHRONICLE EPIC WINTER CLASSIC
With its cameras tracking all the game-day drama, spectacle and weather that unfolded today, HBO Sports’ acclaimed “24/7: Road to the NHL Winter Classic” will debut the finale of the four-part series in the U.S. on Saturday, Jan. 4 (10 p.m., ET). The episode will debut in Canada on Sportsnet Sunday (7:30 p.m., ET).
NHL OUTDOOR GAME OVERVIEW
2003 Molson Canadian NHL Heritage Classic – Nov. 22, 2003
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Montreal Canadiens 4 at Edmonton Oilers 3
Weather at puck drop: -2°F/-19°C, clear, severe wind chill
Attendance: 57,167
2008 Amp Energy NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2008
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 at Buffalo Sabres 1 (SO)
Weather at puck drop: 33°F /1°C, flurries
Attendance: 71,217
2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2009
Wrigley Field, Chicago
Detroit Red Wings 6 at Chicago Blackhawks 4
Weather at puck drop: 32°F /0°C, overcast, swirling wind
Attendance: 40,818
2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2010
Fenway Park, Boston
Philadelphia Flyers 1 at Boston Bruins 2 (OT)
Weather at puck drop: 39°F/4°C, overcast
Attendance: 38,112
2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2011
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
Washington Capitals 3 at Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Weather at puck drop: 51°F/10°C, overcast, light rain
Attendance: 68,111
2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic – Feb. 20, 2011
McMahon Stadium, Calgary
Montreal Canadiens 0 at Calgary Flames 4
Weather at puck drop: 16°F/-9°C, clear, wind
Attendance: 41,022
2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 2, 2012
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
New York Rangers 3 at Philadelphia Flyers 2
Weather at puck drop: 41°F/5°C, partly cloudy
Attendance: 46,967
2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Jan. 1, 2014
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 at Detroit Red Wings 2 (SO)
Weather at puck drop: 13°F/-11°C, snow, swirling wind
Attendance: 105,491
