The 2011 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2011, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fourth edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Washington Capitals against the Pittsburgh Penguins; the Capitals won, 3–1. The game, rescheduled from its original 1:00 p.m. ET start time to 8:00 p.m. due to weather concerns, was telecast on NBC in the United States, and CBC (English) and RDS (French) in Canada. Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho performed the Star Spangled Banner and Pittsburgh sports legends Mario Lemieux, Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis presided over the ceremonial dropping of the puck, and during the second intermission Harris and Bettis hosted a fan event at the outside rink.
The 2011 Winter Classic was the second time the Penguins participated in an outdoor NHL game; the team previously visited the Buffalo Sabres for the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008. Most notably, the Classic pitted two recent number-one draft picks against each other: Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin (2004) and Penguins center Sidney Crosby (2005); both players entered the league in the same year, 2005, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout and contributed to a rivalry between the two teams that has been growing since the early 1990s. During the game, Crosby suffered a concussion from a collision, causing him to miss significant playing time over the next year.
Uniforms At the event, the teams wore vintage uniforms based on Reebok's "Edge" template. The visiting Capitals wore a replica of their inaugural 1974–75 white uniform which they wore through the 1994–95 season, with red helmets. The uniforms would remain the Capitals alternate until 2015, when they were replaced by their red counterpart.
The Penguins wore new uniforms, based on those of their inaugural 1967–68 season; the navy and baby blue colors were reversed, and the jerseys featured a crest of their original skating penguin logo, in place of the diagonal letters. The jerseys would replace the team's previous throwbacks from the 2008 Winter Classic as their alternate uniforms, but would subsequently be dubbed the "Blue Jerseys of Doom" after Sidney Crosby suffering a severe concussion in the Winter Classic from an elbow to the head from Capitals' forward David Steckel, which ended Crosby's season at the half-way mark. He played the following game against the Tampa Bay Lightning but a hit from Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman took him out of the game and sidelined the rest of the season and most of the 2011–12 season. The bad luck with the jersey continued, as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal all suffered injuries in other games wearing the uniforms. Three days after Crosby sustained a broken jaw wearing the blue jerseys in 2013, the uniform was permanently mothballed and the Penguins opted to wear their standard black uniforms in their remaining games they were scheduled to wear the blue jerseys.
Delayed start time
The game had originally been scheduled for 1:00 p.m., but due to concerns about rain, on December 31 the game was shifted to an 8:00 p.m. start. A few weeks prior, the possibility was raised that the Winter Classic might be postponed or canceled altogether. All major weather outlets forecast unseasonably warm temperatures for the day of the game, with the possibility of rain. Heavy or constant rain was the greater concern for the NHL, as it could eventually make the ice surface unplayable. Light rain would have frozen on contact and made the surface uneven, while hard rain could have possibly flooded the rink. Early on the NHL had contingency plans to push the game back to January 2 if necessary, but preferred not to do so since this would have conflicted with telecasts of NFL games. If neither date had reasonable weather, the game would have been postponed and the matchup rescheduled indoors at Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) later in the season. New Year's Weekend was the only time the Steelers would have allowed Heinz Field to be available, since they needed time to get it ready for any postseason home game (which could have been as early as January 8); subsequent future outdoor games in Pittsburgh now would have to either be a Stadium Series game at Heinz Field or either a Stadium Series or Winter Classic game at PNC Park to avoid future scheduling conflicts with the Steelers.
As New Year's Day approached weather forecasts solidified that by late afternoon the Pittsburgh region would be cooling to the 40s and eventually 30s, and major precipitation would be over by early evening for the duration of the weekend. As it turned out, the few fast-moving bands of light rain in the area had no effect on the surface, and no problems were reported.
Pre-game Canadian singer and former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page performed the Canadian national anthem in English and French while America's Got Talent runner-up and Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho sang the American national anthem. Following their performances, Pittsburgh sports legends Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and Mario Lemieux joined U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Bradley T. Tinstman for the ceremonial puck drop.
Rule changes As with the 2008 and 2009 games in Ralph Wilson Stadium and Wrigley Field, the NHL announced a rule change to account for any adverse weather conditions that could give either team an unfair advantage. Due to high winds, the teams changed sides an additional time, at the first whistle after the halfway point of the third period. This was done at exactly the halfway point of the third period in 2008 because of falling snow and again in 2009 due to high winds.
Game summary
Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves in the win. After a scoreless first period, the Penguins scored first early in the second period with Evgeni Malkin's goal. Washington then scored three unanswered goals, one by Mike Knuble and two by Eric Fehr, to win the game. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st No scoring 2nd PIT Evgeni Malkin (14) Kris Letang (27) and Marc-Andre Fleury (1) 02:13 1–0 PIT WSH Mike Knuble (9) – pp Nicklas Backstrom (26) and Mike Green (11) 06:54 1–1 WSH Eric Fehr (6) Marcus Johansson (4) 14:45 2–1 WSH 3rd WSH Eric Fehr (7) Jason Chimera (7) and John Erskine (6) 11:59 3–1 WSH Number in parentheses represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st PIT Paul Martin Hooking 04:40 2:00 WSH Mike Green Holding 08:21 2:00 WSH John Erskine Fighting – major 11:52 5:00 PIT Mike Rupp Fighting – major 11:52 5:00 2nd WSH Brooks Laich Goaltender interference 02:59 2:00 PIT Maxime Talbot Holding 05:56 2:00 WSH John Erskine Hooking 15:37 2:00 3rd WSH Mike Knuble Delay of game (puck over glass) 07:28 2:00
Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total Washington 12 16 4 32 Pittsburgh 16 8 9 33
Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Washington 1/2 Pittsburgh 0/4
Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics 1st WSH Semyon Varlamov 32 Saves 2nd WSH Eric Fehr 2 Goals 3rd PIT Evgeni Malkin 1 Goal
Team rosters
Washington Capitals # Player Position 1 Semyon Varlamov G 4 John Erskine D 8 Alexander Ovechkin (C) LW 16 Eric Fehr RW 19 Nicklas Backstrom (A) C 21 Brooks Laich LW 22 Mike Knuble (A) RW 23 Scott Hannan D 25 Jason Chimera LW 26 Matt Hendricks LW 27 Karl Alzner D 28 Alexander Semin RW 30 Michal Neuvirth G 39 Dave Steckel C 52 Mike Green D 55 Jeff Schultz D 74 John Carlson D 83 Jay Beagle RW 85 Mathieu Perreault C 90 Marcus Johansson CHead coach: Bruce Boudreau
Pittsburgh Penguins # Player Position 1 Brent Johnson G 3 Alex Goligoski D 4 Zbynek Michalek D 5 Deryk Engelland D 7 Paul Martin D 9 Pascal Dupuis RW 10 Mark Letestu C 11 Jordan Staal (A) C 14 Chris Kunitz LW 17 Michael Rupp C 24 Matt Cooke RW 25 Maxime Talbot LW 27 Craig Adams RW 29 Marc-Andre Fleury G 44 Brooks Orpik (A) D 45 Arron Asham LW 48 Tyler Kennedy RW 58 Kris Letang D 71 Evgeni Malkin (A) LW 87 Sidney Crosby (C) CHead coach: Dan Bylsma
Brent Johnson dressed for the Pittsburgh Penguins as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game. Michal Neuvirth dressed for the Washington Capitals as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game.
Scratches Washington Capitals: Tom Poti, Tyler Sloan Pittsburgh Penguins: Eric Godard, Chris Conner, Ben Lovejoy
Officials Referees — Paul Devorski, Stephen Walkom Linesmen — Pierre Champoux, Derek Amell
Broadcasting The 2011 Winter Classic was televised in the United States by NBC, and in Canada by CBC Television (English) and Réseau des sports (French). The game garnered the highest ratings in Classic history on American television and a 22 percent increase in viewership compared to the previous year, capturing a 2.3 rating and 4.5 million viewers. Overall, the game was the most watched NHL contest in the United States since 1996, and the most watched regular season NHL game since 1975. Its overall ratings boost also helped NBC win the evening as the most watched network for January 1, 2011. These marks were achieved despite the seven-hour postponement of the game, which prevented network promotion of the new ad hoc 8 p.m. start time; many program guides still listed the timeslot as featuring a rerun of Law & Order: Los Angeles. Pittsburgh and Washington led the ratings, with Baltimore, which is part of the Capitals' territory, in third. Buffalo, New York, was the highest-rated outside market, despite a Buffalo Sabres game playing opposite the Winter Classic.Wyshinski, Greg (2011-01-03). (Update) NHL Winter Classic gives NBC key ratings win in prime time. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
Due to the delay, CBC's regularly scheduled Hockey Night in Canada game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators was only shown in its entirety for viewers in Ontario, with the remainder of the country breaking away for the Winter Classic at 8:00 p.m ET. CBC stations in Alberta subsequently broke away from the Winter Classic at 10:00 p.m. ET to begin coverage of the Calgary Flames/Edmonton Oilers game. CBC Sports live streamed all three games on its website.
Legends Game
The NHL Legends Game was played on December 31 in the morning. The game, which featured notable alumni from both the Penguins and the Capitals, was played in two 20-minute periods and ended in 5–5 tie. Penguins goals were scored by Rob Brown, Rod Buskas, Craig Simpson, Jay Caufield and Ron Francis. Mario Lemieux had two assists, Paul Mulvey of the Capitals had two goals, while Alan May, Mark Lofthouse and Peter Bondra scored one each. Bondra's goal tied the game with 45 seconds remaining and the game ended in a tie, as it did not have overtime or a shootout.
The Penguins alumni wore the 1968–72 styled powder blue jerseys, Pittsburgh's former third jersey that was introduced in the 2008 Winter Classic. The Capitals alumni wore Washington's current home red jerseys.
Several complaints were made by the fans in attendance. Prior to the game starting, there were complaints regarding the sale of the tickets to game, which went on sale at 10:00 a.m. on December 17, 2010 for $25 a piece. Only 10,000 tickets were available for sale by the NHL, while Heinz Field has a capacity of over 68,111 seats for hockey. Many fans who tried to obtain tickets from Ticketmaster at exactly 10:00 a.m., either via the internet or by telephone could not get access to the company. Many of the locked-out fans complained that most of the people who got tickets were ticket scalpers or people trying to sell them online. By 10:14 a.m., the first two tickets showed up for sale on the Pittsburgh craigslist website for $250 a piece. Throughout the day, there were several entries on eBay and craigslist seeking as much as $699.99 for two tickets and $1,380 for a set of four.