Notebook: Winter Classic Experience Touches All Parties
- Finally, Staal Back on the Ice
- Aftermath: Capitals 3, Penguins 1
- Third Period Analysis
- Second Period Analysis
- First Period Analysis
- Pens-Caps In-Game Blog: Winter Classic Edition
- Pens Fans Rev Up for Winter Classic with Tailgate
The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Washington Capitals 3-1 Saturday night, but a team getting two points wasn’t the main point of the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field.
It was a celebration of hockey, and the atmosphere of a primetime hockey game being played outside under the lights in an NFL stadium made for an unbelievable night.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Sidney Crosby said. “Playing hockey in front of that many people, it’s something that probably none of us ever dreamed of doing.”
“There were a lot of chills,” said Jordan Staal, who returned to the Penguins lineup for the first time this season after suffering a broken hand in November.
Saturday marked the second time the Penguins played in an NFL stadium, after beating the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, at the Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, in the inaugural Winter Classic in a shootout in 2008. But the thrill has not worn off for Crosby.
“It’s pretty easy to see why you see (NFL players) so pumped up every week. Coming down the tunnel is a pretty amazing feeling,” Crosby said. “And I said the same thing when we played in Buffalo.”
Read more here – Penguins.nhl.com
Pictures to come later tonight or tomorrow, I want to wait a bit so I can get a large bunch of them as they come in!
