GDT: Hawks @ Caps WINTER CLASSIC | 1/1/15 | 1:00 EST | NBC/CBC

[txpd]

Nobody in a hawks uni played well. Fellow Hawks fans can blame the refs on that Toews call, but they lost that game cause the collectively played like crap.

I think blackhawks were lucky they weren't blown out. I think they didn't have a good game in many way. The 4 or 5 odd man breaks and the two breakaways are sure sign of that. They got back in the game and like most good teams do, they almost made something of it.

Meanwhile I have no sympathy on the Toews penalty. It was weak. But, Toews was clearly holding Oprik's stick on the 5 on 3 right in front of a referee and got away with it. No excuse for that. So, lets call the 3rd period penalty a make up call.

Bad calls happen in NHL games all the time. Kill it.

 

[txpd]

I was thinking going in that this would be the one and only Caps home WC game. Now, I am not so sure. It was the best actual hockey game in the best conditions so far. with seasonable weather.

Maybe, the Caps get into the regular rotation for these games.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

The last call on Toews was terrible, I'll give you that. So was the non-call on Toews holding Orpik's stick on the 5-on-3. So was the "boarding" by Niskanen on Shaw. So was the non-call on Shaw's slew foot on Johansson. So was the Hawks failure to score on an extended 5-on-3. So were the 5 odd man rushes the Hawks gave up. And Ovechkin hit two posts. The Caps were the better team most of the night.

Fun event to be a part off and the better team on the ice today won the game. The Hawks are a great team.

Kinda disappointed in Kane today. He's one of my favorite players to watch and I think I noticed him once. Also, is Shaw always such a piece of ****?

 

[CapsJunkie]

Shaw is the new Cooke. classy style of play

 

[theYman]

[mod] Hawks shoulda been blown out and by then it wouldn't have mattered. Hawks haf like 6 pp to Caps 1. They shoulda known the next penalty was gonna be on them by default. It's just the way it goes sometimes.

 

[MadhouseOnMadison]

Shaw is the new Cooke. classy style of play

Quite the reach. Shaw has injured nobody.

 

[txpd]

Plenty of guys in this league play with the exact same edge and style yet you're singling out Shaw and comparing him to Cooke based on something that might potentially happen some day, maybe? It's just a bad comparison all around.

well...I am not comparing him to Cooke. he's an agitator. which is nhl speak for a dirty player. shaw is dirty. he's good enough at it to get away with it mostly.

Johansson has a concussion history and tripping him blindside from behind like that was cheap and dirty and we all knew it. Johansson goes over on his back and bounces his helmet off the ice. He appears not to be injured which is good.

I am pretty sure that you fully expect fans of other teams to take issue with his dirty play. As a Caps fan, I am. Cooke? He's a special case. Shaw isnt a head hunter just yet, but like I said slew footing a guy is the next best thing.

 

[Jaraco]

Shaw is the new Cooke. classy style of play

I hate Shaw but this is unfair to say about him. Cooke is/was a *******. Shaw is just an annoying little troll.

 

[Kimota]

Caps deserved the win but man I feel for Toews, this was a horrible call. Players of this level must be tired playing in a place with this low level of reffing. They pour their heart out on the ice and are cut at the knees but their own league.

 

[yay]

Just wanted to quickly compliment Hawks fans at how cool you guys were at the game - good sportsmanship, true hockey fans, all reasonable adults. Sat near a huge chunk of ya'll in Section 102.

 

[txpd]

Caps deserved the win but man I feel for Toews, this was a horrible call. Players of this level must be tired playing in a place with this low level of reffing. They pour their heart out on the ice and are cut at the knees but their own league.

I don't feel for him in the least. He got away with a blatant hold of Brooks Orpik's stick on the 5 on 3. The game supervisor goes over these things with the officials between periods and during breaks. So, the refs knew it happened. That was compounded by Shaw's cheapshot slew foot/trip.

So, Toews shouldn't have been shocked that any chance the refs had to make a call against Chicago was coming.

Chicago has the best PK in the league. Kill the damn penalty. They had to kill 1 and a half penalties in that game. I see no excuses here.

Sometimes you just get straight up hosed by a call. Guy hits himself in the mouth with his own stick and you get a double minor for HS. Happened to Brouwer last week. You kill it. when you have the best pk in the league and its late in a game on less than optimal ice. how hard should that be?

 

[mitchdisaster]

Caps deserved the win but man I feel for Toews, this was a horrible call. Players of this level must be tired playing in a place with this low level of reffing. They pour their heart out on the ice and are cut at the knees but their own league.

Toews can complain all he wants about that one call. Is he going to volunteer to sit in the box for all the calls against his team that the refs missed. The interference/trip against shaw no more than 2 minutes before his? The holding the stick call that wasn't made on the 5 on 3, the two 2 handers to the ankle right before the Hawks second goal? Can't have it both ways. I can't sit here and argue against any of the caps penalties, but the Hawks were getting away with everything all game.

 

[Nothingman*]

Sounds like both fan bases are complaining about the refs. Can we agree on that?!

I thought the game was really boring to be honest. I am over these WC games. I am a Hawks fan and I watched HGTV half the time. All the Ovy/Toews tire pumping made me throw up. Glad the game will be back to normal and I hope we don't get another outside game for quite some time.

 

[TKB]

Quite the reach. Shaw has injured nobody.

Valtteri Filppula on the second shift of 2013 CSF Game 7 might disagree... but your are right that he is certainly not worthy of comparison to Matt Cooke.

 

[hockey4sale]

I don't get the sour comments towards the Caps and Ovie, this was a great hockey game, both teams played very well, Hawks had a chance to put this game away with multiple PPs and 5on3, well they didn't, it wasn't Ovie's fault, and I thought Ovie was the MVP of this game, Caps are emerging as very competitive hard to play against team, Trotz is doing a great job!

 

[CAPS LOCK]

Haters will always find reasons to hate. At least its come full circle now and he's getting crap for celebrating too much again instead the other laundry list of reasons.

 

[Sam Spade]

What a day! Best weather yet for a WC, great game, great crowd, just a ton of fun all the way around.

Caps and the NHL deserve a ton of credit, that was how you do 'entertainment'.

BTW, those Caps jersey's looked great in person, I just purchased a replica one.

 

[OVs Gold Chain*]

Caps deserved the win but man I feel for Toews, this was a horrible call. Players of this level must be tired playing in a place with this low level of reffing. They pour their heart out on the ice and are cut at the knees but their own league.

How about the Caps players they poured their hearts out only to watch the refs ignore several calls because they "swallowed their whistles" to let the guys play? All they have to do is quit with the make-up call ********. Get calls right on the ice, call the game by the book, a penalty is a penalty whether it's in the first or final minute.

The refs dug their own grave with the makeup call BS, they cave to coaches that whine and start screaming at them to call a "fair" game.

 

[Honey Bear]

The Hawks played down to their competition and lost because of it. Pretty simple. Washington played well and they deserve credit for winning the game, but it's clear only one team showed up to play today and that was Washington.

Bad loss, and I hate these kinds of games where the Hawks aren't out there to play for 3 periods. They always result in a loss because the Hawks think they can just skate and win games without putting in 100% effort as a collective team.

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

This is the 14th outdoor game now, and despite being the least hyped, least intriguing matchup, this might have been the best played game. Ice was good, DC created a nice scene, Caps and 'Hawks played each other fairly evenly, Caps pull ahead with 13 seconds left, Holtby still has to make a big save at the horn, good stuff.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Wasn't the Boston Winter Classic good weather as well?

I completely forgot about this game today. Don't even mind anymore -- the NHL killed this concept a while ago.

 

[Midnight Judges]

The Hawks played down to their competition and lost because of it. Pretty simple. Washington played well and they deserve credit for winning the game, but it's clear only one team showed up to play today and that was Washington.

No, your team just got beat pure and simple.

The Caps have 1 regulation loss in their last 13 games. There's nothing to play down to because the Caps are playing as well as any team in the NHL right now.

The Hawks were lucky Ovechkin didn't have a hatty.

 

[Duke33]

Great game.

Refs sucked, but if you're an NHL fan you're used to it by now.

Every other team in the league would have celebrated the same way that the Caps did given the way it all ended.

I disagree. I actually was at the Wash-Pit outdoor game in Pa. a few years back and they did the same thing then, celebrated like the Cup had been won. I understand it's a good spectacle and today they were at home of course, but it's still just two points.

I'm in the DC area and it's typical of the Caps, they look great for stretches of the regular season and everyone gets excited, then of course when the playoffs roll around, they can't get past Round 2. Same stuff every year, if they even manage to make the playoffs.

Great game though, the ice was terrific.

 

[txpd]

The Hawks played down to their competition and lost because of it. Pretty simple..

boy, bud. you need to look again. as was mentioned the caps have lost 1 game in regulation in their last 13 games{9-1-3}. that includes two wins over tampa bay and a shut out at Pittsburgh. of those 13 games 9 were on the road. the only lose was a second of a back to back on the road at the rangers who were rested.

how far below the Hawks level did they have to fall to find the Caps level?

 

[txpd]

I disagree. I actually was at the Wash-Pit outdoor game in Pa. a few years back and they did the same thing then, celebrated like the Cup had been won. I understand it's a good spectacle and today they were at home of course, but it's still just two points.

I'm in the DC area and it's typical of the Caps, they look great for stretches of the regular season and everyone gets excited, then of course when the playoffs roll around, they can't get past Round 2. Same stuff every year, if they even manage to make the playoffs.

Great game though, the ice was terrific.

with the caps playoff history, why should caps fans bother? why celebrate a regular season game? right? why have a good time because the only games that count they are already doomed for. move the team now and let somebody else watch them.

"if they even manage to make the playoffs" now that part is funny. since 1982-83, I think the caps have missed the playoffs maybe 5 or 6 times.