On Christmas Eve, my family decided to open one present for our "first gift of Christmas." It was that moment where I got the biggest surprise of my life, Winter Classic tickets. I was shocked and was freaking out big time. I've seen State Championships and playoff games live, but never a game with as much magnitude as outdoor hockey. A lot of fans were upset the Caps would be playing the Blackhawks considering they aren't really rivals but I wasn't one of them. I liked the match-up the moment they announced it. These are two of the most exciting teams in hockey and both have passionate fan bases and I've always had respect for the Blackhawks. I hope the Caps can someday win a couple Stanley Cups like the Blackhawks did.
Fast forward to New Years Eve. A lot of my friends were all over the place while I decided to stay in. I wasn't too mad about it though because there's a ton of nights out but only one event like the Winter Classic in your lifetime. I also wanted to get up early the next day and not be too hungover. New Years Day rolled around and my dad and I woke up to head to the game around 10 a.m. When we got to the metro station and walked over to the trains there were a ton of Caps fans around us. We got on the silver line and took it all the way to Le'Fant Plaza to change trains to the green line. As we waited for the second train people were already chanting "Lets Go Caps" while Blackhawks fans countered with "Lets Go Hawks." There was already a war between the fans and it was still over two hours till the game started. When we got to Navy Yard, where the ballpark is, we tried to hit up the Spectator Plaza, which is a fan fest held outside of the stadium. We couldn't get in. The streets were flooded with fans. There was barley any room to walk. If you're claustrophobic, this would have been your worst nightmare. For me though, who fell in love with sports with a kind of atmosphere like this, I loved it. Even though I couldn't get into the fan fest with the long line, I loved the pre game atmosphere. We finally made it inside Nationals Park at 11:30 a.m. and got to our seats. We were seated along the third base line in the lower level (I swear every Nats game I go to I always end up there) and our view wasn't bad. It wasn't a great view and it was hard to see the puck but I didn't care and I don't think the fans around me did either. Like me, I'm sure they were all glad just to be there too. My section was basically divided, with a ton of Caps fans and a ton of Blackhawks fans all there. Some Blackhawks fans were next to me and they were pretty nice for the most part, except for the trash talking of course.
Billy Idol first took the stage to rock the Winter Classic. Then the players took the ice in a very unique way. During player introductions they entered from centerfield from a replica building of the capitol and skated across the reflecting pool, a replica of the national mall. Even the stage the musical acts performed on were made of the same marble you would find from the memorials in DC. The crowd got super loud at introductions and when the puck dropped as fans on both sides were chanting for their respective teams.
The Caps got on the board thanks to a breakaway goal by Eric Fehr. I swear, that man loves the Winter Classic. The last time the Caps played in that game, in 2011 in Pittsburgh, Fehr scored twice in that game. At the 10 minute mark the teams had to switch sides due to the "sun monster" in the outfield. A few minutes later, Alex Ovechkin scored to give the Caps the 2-0 lead. Ovi is having a big year and he loves the big stage. The goal sent the crowd into a complete frenzy and I thought for sure the Caps were not only gonna win, but win big. Then the Blackhawks got on the board with a goal by Patrick Sharp just before the first period ended. The Caps headed back to the clubhouse with a 2-1 lead as Gavin DeGraw performed during the break.
In the second period the Blackhawks tied it up on a goal by Brandon Saad. The score would remain tied as the second period came to an end. In the second intermission, Lee Greenwood performed along with the Army Choir. Overall the musical acts were surprisingly good. Of course as a youngster, I wanted someone like Wale (a DC born rapper) performing but they were good. As the third period went on, there were a ton of calls that went against the home team, much to the displeasure of fans. As a total the Caps got 14 penalty minutes but the penalty kill was on point. At one part, the Hawks had a 5 on 3 power play and the Caps killed it. Even though the refs weren't kind to the Caps, they gave them a gift at the end of the game. With the game deadlocked at 2 goals apiece, the Caps got a power play late in the third period and they capitalized big time. WIth 12 seconds left, Troy Brower scored the game winning goal against his former team to give the Capitals the 3-2 win!
When that moment happened I was elated and so were the rest of the Caps fans. Words can't describe how incredible that experience was. The only thing better than the game as a whole was the way and the fashion it ended. Every one was high fiving and hugging complete strangers next to them, in front of them, behind them. The seat cushions all the fans got coming into the game were all of a sudden being thrown onto the field. The raining seat cushions were similar to these old Redskins highlight reels I saw from RFK when fans threw their seat cushions onto the field too. I didn't toss mine, I wanted to keep everything I got at this game to remind me of it forever. When the final horn sounded, the fireworks went off and the Nats HD video board showed Ovechkin with a smile on his face pointing to the crowd.
When people talk about their best New Years, it mostly involves some big party or Times Square or a kiss at midnight. Not me though. Even though all that stuff could happen to me, my best New Years will forever be that game. The Winter Classic is a coveted sporting event that every NHL town wants. There's many great hockey cities that haven't hosted this game yet, but every team will get their turn. With that being said, this game was a once in a generation experience for me. The next time a Winter Classic comes to this city, I could be taking my kids.
I've been a Caps fan since the fifth grade. They weren't good or popular at the time. But seeing the team evolve and the city becoming a hockey town has truly been rewarding. Seeing the atmosphere and all the Caps fans celebrating the New Year and life in general will be something I'll remember for the rest of my life. The only moment that could top this one of course... is winning a Stanley Cup. As I was leaving the stadium I turned to the Blackhawks fans next to me and said "see you in June."
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