Monday, July 7, 2008
Wings-Blackhawks outdoor game likely
Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The long-rumored outdoor game between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks appears to be set.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly met last week with officials from the Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, and city of Chicago to finalize details for the third Winter Classic, which will be held Jan. 1 at Wrigley Field.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played in front of an NHL-record 71,217 last season in Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Advertisement
An official announcement regarding the Wings-Blackhawks game is likely next week during a Blackhawks fan convention in Chicago.

Wings officials did not comment on the matter
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 70403/1128

According to an NHL source, the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will participate in the league's second outdoor Winter Classic on New Year's Day.

The game will take place at Wrigley Field. An announcement is expected next week before the inaugural "Blackhawks Convention" at the Chicago Hilton.

Last New Year's Day, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout in front of an NHL-record crowd of 71,217 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

• The Wild made two minor league signings Sunday.

Goalie Barry Brust was signed to a two-year deal, and right winger Jesse Schultz, a first cousin of Wild defenseman Nick Schultz, was signed to a one-year deal.

Brust, 24, went 24-16-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average last season for the Houston Aeros.

Schultz, 25, scored 26 goals and 66 points for the Chicago Wolves last season.

MICHAEL RUSSO
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/ ... efer=Error

Already posted here over a month ago: http://www.lionbacker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11130

Sorry, just had to do that!

Anyways, Bettman is an idiot once again by scheduling this game on New Years Day. I watch college football on that day, like most American sports fans, so I'll probably only watch parts of the game. In addition, what is this going to do to the Wings' traditional New Years Eve game?

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Red Wings: Notebook
Outdoor game looks to be set
Red Wings would face Blackhawks in third Winter Classic Jan. 1 at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The only thing left appears to be the official announcement.

The long-rumored outdoor game between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks appears to be set.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly met last week with officials from the Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to finalize details for the third Winter Classic, which will be held Jan. 1 at Wrigley Field.

An announcement will likely come next weekend during the Blackhawks fan convention.

Wings officials insist they haven't heard a thing.

"All we've heard is we're one of the teams that's being considered," said Jim Nill, the Wings' assistant general manager. "We haven't heard anything more than that."

The Wings will likely have to give up their annual New Year's Eve game at Joe Louis Arena. The Winter Classic will be held in the afternoon on Jan. 1, so it's impossible for the Wings to have a game the night before.

But that doesn't mean the players aren't excited.

"I think it's great for hockey," Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski said. "Chicago's a great sports town and Wrigley Field's a quality stadium. I think the NHL should have three, four or five games like that (outdoor) a year to give all players a chance to do it.

"It's great to play on adverse conditions. That's what you remember growing up, playing on ponds. I remember when I was 7 or 8 playing at a little park in Wyandotte. The city flooded it and we played on a surface that couldn't have been any bigger than 20 by 20 yards. We had no boards. It was great."

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played in front of an NHL-record 71,217 last season in Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. Edmonton and Montreal held the first Winter Classic.

Class in session
The Wings are holding a development camp for draft picks this week at Joe Louis Arena.

Nill said 21 young players in the organization, including recent draft picks, took to the ice Monday morning. But most of the time is spent off the ice.

"They're going to school and learning what it takes to get to the NHL," Nill said. "They're getting familiar with our organization, the coaches, and when they get to training camp they'll be more comfortable."

Grand Rapids assistant coach Jim Paek , player development director Jiri Fischer and goaltending coach Jim Bedard are among the instructors.

Goalies Daniel Larsson and Thomas McCollom , defensemen Brendan Smith and Logan Pyett and forwards Cory Emmerton and Jan Mursak are among the recent draft picks in attendance.

Ice chips
Still no word on a contract agreement with 46-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios , although one is expected any day.

... Red Wings general manager Ken Holland hopes a contract can be worked out with restricted free agent forward Valtteri Filppula before arbitration hearings take place July 20-Aug. 4 in Toronto.

Filppula filed for salary arbitration Saturday.

You can reach Ted Kulfan at (313) 223-4606 or ted.kulfan@detnews.com. David Goricki contributed.

Find this article at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /807080373

It's official: Wings play outdoors at Wrigley on Jan. 1
BY GEORGE SIPPLE • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • July 17, 2008

Read Comments(10)Recommend Print this page E-mail this article
Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this?
James Wisniewski grew up in Canton dreaming of playing hockey and baseball.


Now the Chicago defenseman will get a chance to play hockey at Wrigley Field when the Blackhawks host the Red Wings on New Year's Day.

The Winter Classic 2009, featuring two Original Six clubs in one of the great baseball stadiums, will be the 701st meeting between the teams.

No other NHL teams have met more times in the regular season.

The 1 p.m. game will be broadcast nationally by NBC, and by CBC and RDS throughout Canada.

"That's once-in-a-lifetime right there," Wisniewski said Wednesday.

The Wings will forgo their annual New Year's Eve game to play in the Classic.

General manager Ken Holland has requested 5,000 tickets from the league, some of which would be given to players' families. While it's not known how remaining tickets will be distributed, Holland said he hoped fans would be able to "spend New Year's Eve in Chicago and then watch your Red Wings play on New Year's Day."

Echoing Wisniewski, he added: "That's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Wisniewski, addressing rumors that the Winter Classic might have been played at Yankee Stadium in New York, said: "Somehow, we ended up getting it. I think it's going to be pretty good, especially with our team on the rise and Detroit the defending Stanley Cup champions."

Last year's Winter Classic was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, in a shoot-out that drew immense publicity for the league and a record crowd of 71,217.

Atlanta: The Thrashers have agreed to undisclosed terms with their goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, a restricted free agent.

Buffalo: The Sabres signed left wing Daniel Paille, a restricted free agent, to a multiyear contract.

Edmonton: Center Shawn Horcoff (Michigan State) signed a six-year, $33-million contract extension. The 29-year-old scored 21 goals and 50 points in 53 games last season before undergoing surgery on his left shoulder.

LOS ANGELES: Terry Murray has been hired as the new coach of the Kings. A team spokesman said Murray will be introduced today at a news conference at the Kings' training facility in suburban El Segundo. Murray coached the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals 11 years ago.

N.Y. Islanders: The Islanders agreed to terms on two-year deals with forwards Sean Bergenheim ($1.725 million) and Jeff Tambellini ($1.175 million). Bergenheim scored 10 goals and 22 points in 78 games with the Islanders last season, while Tambellini (Michigan) scored 38 goals and 76 points in 57 games with their AHL affiliate, Bridgeport.

Contact GEORGE SIPPLE at 313-223-4796 or gsipple@freepress.com. Check out his Red Wings blog at www.freep.com/sports. Free Press news services contributed.

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? ... 70428/1053