Detroit Still Does One Thing Very Well..Play Pro Hockey

Sad to say, especially after watching the futile Detroit Lions set the NFL record for SUCK at 0-16, the defending World Champion Detroit Red Wings are about the only bright spot for the ailing Motor City to speak of following 2008, the miserable year of political scandal, record violence and auto maker bailouts..

Today in the new year the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings played in an interesting marketing ploy of the NHL broadcast on NBC or the NoBama Channel in what they call "The Winter Classic" on New Years Day, outdoors at cursed Wrigley Field of all places, as the Wings beat the resurgent Blackhawks 6 to 4, for the second time in 4 days and the fourth time in a row. Previous to this stretch the Hawks had won 9 games in a row.

Now every sports team in Chicago has the distinct honor of losing games inside the obviously cursed "Friendly confines" at one time or another except for the basketball Bulls, so maybe they too could come play a game outdoors and get spanked to join the club, particularly since they've been a non existent force in sports since the third retirement of the great Michael Jordan so many years ago.

Happy New Year Chicago sports fans, we open the year with a loss, not a good sign.

Winter Classic: Hawks lose 6-4 to Red Wings -

- chicagotribune.com: Outside in the elements, the Detroit Red Wings showed they can play the Blackhawks anywhere, anytime, in any conditions. And still beat them.

Pavel Datsyuk skated through two defenders for a go-ahead score in a three-goal second period, and the Red Wings scored twice in a 17-second span of the third Thursday to rally past the Blackhawks 6-4 in the Winter Classic at chilly Wrigley Field.

Temperature at faceoff on an overcast day was a very bearable 32 degrees, even though a wind blowing at 18 mph made it a bundle-up day for 40,818 fans at the second oldest baseball park in the major leagues.

"Holy Cow. It's Cold," read one sign, using the longtime catch phrase of the late Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray.

Related links

• Winter Classic: Hockey at Wrigley Field Photos

• Complete coverage: The Winter Classic

• 2008-09 Blackhawks schedule, results

The teams used the same locker rooms that the Cubs (Blackhawks) and visitors (Red Wings) use during the baseball season. The players trudging on covered skates through tunnels, up and down steps and across a tarp-like carpet to the rink. The Red Wings' coaching staff kept their heads warm with fedoras.

Martin Havlat had a goal and two assists to help the Blackhawks go up 3-1 after one period. But the Red Wings showed why they are the defending Stanley Cup champions, rallying to beat the Blackhawks for the fourth straight time this season and second time in less than 48 hours. After splitting two Blackhawks defenders, Datsyuk backhanded the puck through Cristobal Huet's legs to put Detroit up 4-3. The second period outburst also included a pair of rebound goals from Jiri Hudler.

Brian Rafalski scored on a power play 3:07 into the third period for a 5-3 lead. Seventeen seconds later, Brett Lebda's shot from between the circles appeared to go over Huet, but officials needed a video review to determine that it was a goal. After it was ruled good, Huet was pulled for Nikolai Khabibulin.

Video screens in right and left fields were set up to help fans who couldn't follow the puck from the lower seats. Most didn't necessarily need them -- they stood up behind the two dugouts to see over the boards. And stay warm at the same time.

Even though most of the snow in Chicago had melted last week, the entire field was covered by the white stuff -- some of it compliments of a snowmaking machine. continued

---