[NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]
“In hockey, the reality is that every day doesn’t start out the way you wish it could… but there is one that does.”
That’s what we’re told as we watch the final days/hours/minutes of preparation for this year’s Winter Classic, interspersed with footage from the past three episodes – souvenirs from the road, if you don’t mind us extending the metaphor a bit, and all part of the buildup to the big game on January 1.
So what lies ahead in this final curve in the road? Off we go…
Episode 4
Four weeks ago, we got our first glimpses of the two teams set to go head to head on New Year’s Day – a compulsory introduction that just scraped the surface. In Episode 2, we got to dig a little deeper and view the families that develop, at the rink and in the real world, and said goodbye to one member of the family. And last week, it was a bit of holiday cheer to wrap up 2014 and look ahead to the new year – and a pretty big game.
It all comes together as the fourth and final episode gets underway. Now the two teams are almost one, footage from the two locker rooms and pregame speeches from the two colorful coaches blending together in a somehow familiar mix.
We open with Coach Quenneville addressing his troops, then switch over to Coach Trotz. We see the ‘Hawks take the ice for their final game before the Classic, and we see the Caps do the same. Even the games themselves are eerily parallel, down to the early deficits (accompanied by matching profanity-laced tirades from their respective bench bosses), the late game-tying heroics and the necessity of extra time in each.
Only the outcomes are different – the Caps, falling to the Islanders in overtime; the Blackhawks, emerging victorious in the shootout.
It’s noted that “a night that began the wrong way for Chicago will end in celebration…”
Enjoy it while it lasts, fellas.
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As the two teams wrap up their pre-Classic schedule, we’re treated to snippets of reality and slices of off-ice life… but not much more. The Blackhawks host some munchkins at United Center for practice, then get on the plane headed to DC for the game. And a few hours after the ‘Hawks arrive, Troy Brouwer heads to the airport to pick up his parents, in from Vancouver for the game.
But even the happy faces of kids getting an up-close look at their heroes, or a proud father’s excitement at getting to see his son play, are almost sidenotes at this point.
The real story is at the ballpark.
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That’s where we check in with the Caps next, joining them as they arrive at the Nationals’ clubhouse and react like pretty much any of us would at seeing the relative luxury of their temporary digs. There are some wide eyes and impressed smiles as they take it all in – they’re almost as excited to be there as the kids were to be at Blackhawks practice the day before, and they’re not really trying to hide it.
Next up, the traditional application of the eyeblack ahead of the first practice on outdoor rink, with the Swedes gathering to help each other out like the good samaritans they are. So nice, those Scandinavians.
The Caps take to the ice for practice, and while they’re running the same drills as usual, they have an extra bit of jump… or at least that’s what we’re told, and there’s no reason to think it’s a lie. But while they seem to be fired up, there starts to be a murmur of trouble: the glare from the sunny day in DC.
More about that later, but for now it’s time to bring the families onto the ice. That means the requisite (and yet never unwelcome) shots of players proudly spinning babies around the ice, and the requisite (and moderately annoying) shots of Brooks Laich with his actress/dancer girlfriend Julianne Hough. First Ted Leonsis, then Barry Trotz, swing by to chat with the Ovechkin family. Trotz takes son Nolan around for one more spin on the ice.
After the Caps have cleared out, Chicago gets their turn – and they’ve brought some special guests along for their skate, facing off with and against some wounded warriors in a little scrimmage. Make no mistake, though, Coach Q isn’t taking anything lightly. A postgame lap for the losers? Harsh.
But there’s still time for fun, and the ‘Hawks get their chance to bring their family onto the ice, including a pretty slick-skating Patrick Kane, Sr., who seems to have some of his son’s ability to move around the ice… if not the same shooting ability.
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New Year’s Eve passes with little fanfare… well, no fanfare whatsoever, actually. There are no celebrations, or at least none that we’re privy to, for these two teams. It’s all business as we rejoin them early on January 1, stopping in at the home of Tom Wilson and Michael Latta as they get ready to head out. Their groggy houseguests are still sprawled around the living room, but the boys are suited up and ready to go.
So are the clubhouses, which receive some last-minute preparations ahead of the teams’ arrivals. We see an empty locker set aside in the ‘Hawks room for the late Clint Reif, and the ‘CR’ decals that are on the helmets of both teams – a fitting tribute to one of their own.
Outside, the park begins to fill up with fans eagerly awaiting the first Winter Classic below the Mason-Dixon Line.
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But how long will they have to wait?
Back in 2011, the drama before the game was about the rain that eventually forced a delay; now, it’s about the glare, as NHL brass discuss pushing puck drop back to deal with that pesky sun. The decision is made to defer to the players after warmups, and it’s up to the captains and the goalies to make the call – a responsibility which Jonathan Toews does not seem to enjoy all that much, but he also doesn’t enjoy the idea of a delay.
“Just f&%in’ play.”
Okay, then.
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Pregame time. One last time, we’re taken inside the rooms to hear the two coaches address their teams as we’ve seen many times before… but this time there’s one reminder that’s not usually there: have fun.
Something else that’s not usually there? A ride to the rink on a trolley, the means of transporting the two teams from the clubhouses on one side of the stadium to the awesome Capitol entrance that’s been built on the other. It sets up what is perhaps one of the great awkward-but-hilarious moments of the whole show, when it’s determined that the ‘Hawks will have to go out first – and in doing so, will have to pass the Caps.
Nice job by the Caps to pretend they don’t even see the ‘Hawks… and completely ignore whichever Chicago player it is that wishes them luck as they pass. Chicago, for their part, tries the opposite approach, firing some chirps at their former teammate Troy Brouwer. All in good fun, and awesome from start to finish.
As the two teams skate out on the reflecting pool (and seriously, it remains the greatest entrance for Winter Classic teams to date), even Toews takes it all in and says “what a show!”
Even Captain Serious is impressed. That’s quite a feat.
But enough of the fireworks and the ceremony. There’s a game to be played, and it’s a good one.
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FIRST PERIOD
The puck finally drops and we’re underway, ready to relive every breathtaking, heart-stopping, penalty-drawing minute of this one as if for the first time.
Early on it’s clear that the Caps have their skating legs with them, and Ovechkin’s got his trash-talking mouth with him, as a shot on net is followed by reminders by the captain to Corey Crawford that he’ll be in his face “all night long, all night long”. Hell yeah.
And it’s just part of what is a pretty scrappy, chatter-filled start in general for a boring non-rivalry game. Michael Latta starts to make his presence known, and immediately gains some new fans on the Blackhawks bench.
“That Latta’s a loser, boys”.
Back to the actual hockey, where – who else? – Mr. January, Eric Fehr, opens the scoring for the Caps. A few more chances for the Caps lead right up to the buzzer at the ten-minute mark that stops play and allows the teams to switch sides due to the sun.
But the sun is no match for Ovechkin, the narrator reminds us. Because “sunshine’s a different kind of spotlight on Alex Ovechkin… he gravitates to it all the same.” Indeed he does, and he excels in it, as noted by his drive to the net for a rebound to give the Caps a two-goal lead.
Ah, but this is the Caps. And even if you didn’t watch the game, you know that they’re going to take penalties – so right on cue, there goes a red jersey to the sin bin. And there goes the puck into the net for Chicago. Twenty minutes down, three goals scored, and the Caps are on top 2-1 as they head back to the clubhouse.
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SECOND PERIOD
The Caps are back on the penalty kill to start the second (because of course they are), and with former Blackhawk Brouwer in the box, the Caps actually get a chance shorthanded – off the stick of Alex Ovechkin. Which judging by the reaction of Coach Q (and by the hundreds of goals Ovechkin’s scored in his career) is exactly where you don’t want the puck if you’re the opponent… but alas, he hits the post. A second chance a moment later that hits the crossbar is followed by Ovechking once again chirping Crawford with “you lucky sonofabitch”. Love it. And agree.
The physicality that started in the opening frame continues in the second, with big hits and lots of chatter peppering the ice and making it feel much more intense than a game between these two teams should be. It gets more intense when a tic-tac-toe play by the ‘Hawks kicks it up a notch.
Tie game. Caps on the PK. Braden Holtby coming up big. All things we’ve seen before, many times, and yet everything is amplified in this game – especially when the Caps go down by two men for more than a minute (for a change) and it’s enough to get the heart beating faster just reliving it.
The Caps kill the first penalty.
They kill the second.
And we’re still tied.
“Very quickly, the best opportunity of the game has been a springboard of frustration,” notes the narrator, those words following the Blackhawks into their clubhouse after a fruitless five-on-three. As for the Caps, they’re pretty happy that it was fruitless, as Trotz sums up nicely:
“It’s 2-2 and it’s f&%kin’ beautiful.”
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THIRD PERIOD
What was already a game of heightened intensity somehow finds another level as the two teams take the ice, knotted up at two in the final period of regulation. The ‘Hawks lose a player to injury when Kris Versteeg takes a puck to the hand. The Caps have a power play go awry, firing shots towards Crawford but failing to connect time after time.
And then in the final minutes of regulation, Matt Niskanen takes that boarding “penalty” that no one seems to like, marking the seventh time the Caps go shorthanded…and for the sixth time they kill it off, helped in part by Toews getting called for a “penalty” that he certainly doesn’t seem to like with just seconds remaining on Niskanen’s minor.
We’ve seen it eight billion times by now, but it never gets old, does it? The slashed stick of Ovechkin, the swing around and shot by Brouwer, the puck hitting the back of the net, and a celebration that would threaten to blow the roof off the building if it had one. A few desperate moments in the game’s final seconds, one more big save by Holtby, and that’s it – the Caps have won.
Oh hey, handshakes! Did you guys know they did handshakes after these games? Wonder if the Penguins know about that…
Anyway, handshake lines are fraught with hilarity, most of them centering around Chicago’s colorful coach. As he approaches his former player, the man with the game-winning goal on his stick, he reaches out to shake his hand and has these kind words to say:
“Did you get that goal, Brouwer? F&%k off.” [laughter]
It’s a nice setup for the post-game chat between those two bench bosses with the mouths just ready for some soap, a discussion which centers around exactly that – which is amazing (and leads to this picture, which is also amazing).
Trotz heads in to congratulate his exuberant and victorious boys, which is a great little speech… but really what we take away from this is that the Caps’ staff has 40s – 40s – of Olde English after the game.
Because that’s how they roll.
The Blackhawks dressing room is, understandably, much quieter. There’s no speech by the coach, nothing really said between players – just players looking disappointed, a captain doing his duty and addressing the media, and that’s it. It’s one game out of 82, but these games are always more than just that.
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As the episode comes to a close, that point is hammered home with, that “in the mind of a hockey player, there’s no such thing as “just another game””
There’s not really such a thing for the fans, either.
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There’s no denying that this wasn’t quite the same as the HBO version a few years back – but it’s hard to say that it wasn’t almost as good, if not better at times. The quality of the production was there. The storylines and the personalities were there, and the finale just as breathtaking (if not more so). And this time, we got to see the Caps start and end on a high note.
We got to go inside the rooms and see what makes the coaches tick… and curse.
We learned how pickles were made and so much more from the comedy duo of Michael Latta and Tom Wilson, and learned that you need eight kinds of herring to celebrate Christmas in Sweden.
We spent time with Alex Ovechkin and his family.
We paid tribute to a lost member of the hockey family.
We visited with fathers and their kids, warriors and their injuries; sat on planes and buses and watched more shootout attempts than you’d ever want. We saw the things we never get to see, and the other side of things we do.
It was quite a journey, this road to the Winter Classic – thanks for riding along with us.
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Five Stars:
5. Trash-talking players
3. Barry Trotz and Joel Quenneville
2. Nationals Park
1. The Caps, the ‘Hawks, and EPIX