2011 NHL Winter Classic

Outdoor National Hockey League game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania August 2023 yes 2011 NHL Winter Classic 2011 NHL Winter Classic logo.png Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins 3 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 January 1, 2011 Heinz Field Pittsburgh 68,111 2010 2012 The 2011 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2011, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fourth edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Washington Capitals against the Pittsburgh Penguins; the Capitals won, 3–1. The game, rescheduled from its original 1:00 p.m. ET start time to 8:00 p.m. due to weather concerns,LeBrun Pierre https://www.espn.com/nhl/winterclassic11/news/story?id=5975486 Winter Classic time moved to night ESPN.com ESPN December 31, 2010 December 31, 2010Rossi Rob http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_683327.html Pittsburgh set for a 'winter celebration' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2010-05-27 2010-05-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20100601022829/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_683327.html 1 June 2010 dead was telecast on NBC in the United States, and CBC (English) and RDS (French) in Canada. Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho performed the Star Spangled Banner and Pittsburgh sports legends Mario Lemieux, Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis presided over the ceremonial dropping of the puck, and during the second intermission Harris and Bettis hosted a fan event at the outside rink.http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=547706 Winter Classic to Feature Music, Hockey and Football Legends pittsburghpenguins.com NHL.com 2010-12-29 2011-01-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20110101063913/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=547706 January 1, 2011 The 2011 Winter Classic was the second time the Penguins participated in an outdoor NHL game; the team previously visited the Buffalo Sabres for the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008.https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=322828 NHL to announce outdoor games in Pittsburgh, Calgary on Friday The Sports Network 2010-05-27 2010-05-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20100530011103/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=322828 30 May 2010 live Most notably, the Classic pitted two recent number-one draft picks against each other: Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin (2004) and Penguins center Sidney Crosby (2005); both players entered the league in the same year, 2005, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout and contributed to a rivalry between the two teams that has been growing since the early 1990s. During the game, Crosby suffered a concussion from a collision, causing him to miss significant playing time over the next year. Uniforms At the event, the teams wore vintage uniforms based on Reebok's "Edge" template. The visiting Capitals wore a replica of their inaugural 1974–75 white uniform which they wore through the 1994–95 season, with red helmets. http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=539314&navid=DL https://web.archive.org/web/20120323222905/http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=539314&navid=DL dead March 23, 2012 Capitals Unveil Uniform for 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic October 2, 2010 January 2, 2011 Capitals.NHL.com NHL.com The uniforms would remain the Capitals alternate until 2015, when they were replaced by their red counterpart. The Penguins wore new uniforms, based on those of their inaugural 1967–68 season; the navy and baby blue colors were reversed, and the jerseys featured a crest of their original skating penguin logo, in place of the diagonal letters. The jerseys would replace the team's previous throwbacks from the 2008 Winter Classic as their alternate uniforms, but would subsequently be dubbed the "Blue Jerseys of Doom" after Sidney Crosby suffering a severe concussion in the Winter Classic from an elbow to the head from Capitals' forward David Steckel, which ended Crosby's season at the half-way mark. He played the following game against the Tampa Bay Lightning but a hit from Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman took him out of the game and sidelined the rest of the season and most of the 2011–12 season. The bad luck with the jersey continued, as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal all suffered injuries in other games wearing the uniforms. Three days after Crosby sustained a broken jaw wearing the blue jerseys in 2013, the uniform was permanently mothballed and the Penguins opted to wear their standard black uniforms in their remaining games they were scheduled to wear the blue jerseys.Rossi Rob Penguins notebook: Crosby returns home after jaw surgery Pittsburgh Tribune-Review April 2, 2013 http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/3761941-74/penguins-crosby-season#axzz2PDIt8JSG Delayed start time thumb|The threat of rain pushed the start time from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET. The game had originally been scheduled for 1:00 p.m., but due to concerns about rain, on December 31 the game was shifted to an 8:00 p.m. start. A few weeks prior, the possibility was raised that the Winter Classic might be postponed or canceled altogether. All major weather outlets forecast unseasonably warm temperatures for the day of the game, with the possibility of rain. Heavy or constant rain was the greater concern for the NHL, as it could eventually make the ice surface unplayable. Light rain would have frozen on contact and made the surface uneven, while hard rain could have possibly flooded the rink. Early on the NHL had contingency plans to push the game back to January 2 if necessary, but preferred not to do so since this would have conflicted with telecasts of NFL games. If neither date had reasonable weather, the game would have been postponed and the matchup rescheduled indoors at Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) later in the season. New Year's Weekend was the only time the Steelers would have allowed Heinz Field to be available, since they needed time to get it ready for any postseason home game (which could have been as early as January 8); https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=5959371&type=story NHL has backup plan for Winter Classic ESPN December 27, 2010 subsequent future outdoor games in Pittsburgh now would have to either be a Stadium Series game at Heinz Field or either a Stadium Series or Winter Classic game at PNC Park to avoid future scheduling conflicts with the Steelers.https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2016/02/05/Pittsburgh-Penguins-Philadelphia-Flyers-reportedly-working-on-home-and-home-series-of-outdoors-games/stories/201602050250 Penguins, Flyers planning home-and-home series of outdoors games As New Year's Day approached weather forecasts solidified that by late afternoon the Pittsburgh region would be cooling to the 40s and eventually 30s, and major precipitation would be over by early evening for the duration of the weekend. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-31/mario-lemieux-has-two-assists-for-penguins-in-winter-classic-alumni-draw.html NHL Moves Winter Classic From Day to Night Because of Rain, Warm Weather Novy-Williams Eben Rob Gloster December 31, 2010 Bloomberg 2011-01-16 As it turned out, the few fast-moving bands of light rain in the area had no effect on the surface, and no problems were reported. thumb|Ceremonial puck drop. Pre-game Canadian singer and former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page performed the Canadian national anthem in English and French while America's Got Talent runner-up and Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho sang the American national anthem. Following their performances, Pittsburgh sports legends Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and Mario Lemieux joined U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Bradley T. Tinstman for the ceremonial puck drop.December 2025 Rule changes As with the 2008 and 2009 games in Ralph Wilson Stadium and Wrigley Field, the NHL announced a rule change to account for any adverse weather conditions that could give either team an unfair advantage. Due to high winds, the teams changed sides an additional time, at the first whistle after the halfway point of the third period. This was done at exactly the halfway point of the third period in 2008 because of falling snow and again in 2009 due to high winds. Game summary Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins Heinz Field Jan 1, 2011 3–1 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2010020566 Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves in the win. After a scoreless first period, the Penguins scored first early in the second period with Evgeni Malkin's goal. Washington then scored three unanswered goals, one by Mike Knuble and two by Eric Fehr, to win the game.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/02/winter-classic-2011-capitals-penguins_n_803290.html Winter Classic 2011: Capitals Beat Penguins In The Rain The Huffington Post January 2, 2011 Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st No scoring 2nd PIT Evgeni Malkin (14) Kris Letang (27) and Marc-Andre Fleury (1) 02:13 1–0 PIT WSH Mike Knuble (9) – pp Nicklas Backstrom (26) and Mike Green (11) 06:54 1–1 WSH Eric Fehr (6) Marcus Johansson (4) 14:45 2–1 WSH 3rd WSH Eric Fehr (7) Jason Chimera (7) and John Erskine (6) 11:59 3–1 WSH Number in parentheses represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st PIT Paul Martin Hooking 04:40 2:00 WSH Mike Green Holding 08:21 2:00 WSH John Erskine Fighting – major 11:52 5:00 PIT Mike Rupp Fighting – major 11:52 5:00 2nd WSH Brooks Laich Goaltender interference 02:59 2:00 PIT Maxime Talbot Holding 05:56 2:00 WSH John Erskine Hooking 15:37 2:00 3rd WSH Mike Knuble Delay of game (puck over glass) 07:28 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total Washington 12 16 4 32 Pittsburgh 16 8 9 33 1em Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Washington 1/2 Pittsburgh 0/4 Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics 1st WSH Semyon Varlamov 32 Saves 2nd WSH Eric Fehr 2 Goals 3rd PIT Evgeni Malkin 1 Goal Team rosters Washington Capitalshttp://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/winter-classic/winter-classic-open-thread-cap.html https://web.archive.org/web/20151023032712/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/winter-classic/winter-classic-open-thread-cap.html dead October 23, 2015 Winter Classic open thread: Capitals at Penguins The Washington Post 2011-01-01 # Player Position 1 RUS Semyon Varlamov G 4 CAN John Erskine D 8 RUS Alexander Ovechkin (C) LW 16 CAN Eric Fehr RW 19 SWE Nicklas Backstrom (A) C 21 CAN Brooks Laich LW 22 USA Mike Knuble (A) RW 23 CAN Scott Hannan D 25 CAN Jason Chimera LW 26 USA Matt Hendricks LW 27 CAN Karl Alzner D 28 RUS Alexander Semin RW 30 CZE Michal Neuvirth2 G 39 USA Dave Steckel C 52 CAN Mike Green D 55 CAN Jeff Schultz D 74 USA John Carlson D 83 CAN Jay Beagle RW 85 CAN Mathieu Perreault C 90 SWE Marcus Johansson CHead coach: CAN Bruce Boudreau 1em Pittsburgh Penguinshttps://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/RO020566.HTM Club Playing Roster NHL.com 2011-01-01 # Player Position 1 USA Brent Johnson1 G 3 USA Alex Goligoski D 4 CZE Zbynek Michalek D 5 CAN Deryk Engelland D 7 USA Paul Martin D 9 CAN Pascal Dupuis RW 10 CAN Mark Letestu C 11 CAN Jordan Staal (A) C 14 CAN Chris Kunitz LW 17 USA Michael Rupp C 24 CAN Matt Cooke RW 25 CAN Maxime Talbot LW 27 CAN Craig Adams RW 29 CAN Marc-Andre Fleury G 44 USA Brooks Orpik (A) D 45 CAN Arron Asham LW 48 CAN Tyler Kennedy RW 58 CAN Kris Letang D 71 RUS Evgeni Malkin (A) LW 87 CAN Sidney Crosby (C) CHead coach: USA Dan Bylsma 1 Brent Johnson dressed for the Pittsburgh Penguins as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game. 2 Michal Neuvirth dressed for the Washington Capitals as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game. Scratches Washington Capitals: Tom Poti, Tyler Sloan Pittsburgh Penguins: Eric Godard, Chris Conner, Ben Lovejoy Officials Referees — Paul Devorski, Stephen Walkom Linesmen — Pierre Champoux, Derek Amell Broadcasting The 2011 Winter Classic was televised in the United States by NBC, and in Canada by CBC Television (English) and Réseau des sports (French). The game garnered the highest ratings in Classic history on American television and a 22 percent increase in viewership compared to the previous year, capturing a 2.3 rating and 4.5 million viewers. Overall, the game was the most watched NHL contest in the United States since 1996, and the most watched regular season NHL game since 1975. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/144652 Winter Classic On NBC Is Top NHL Regular-Season Audience In 36 Years January 3, 2011 SportsBusiness Daily Street & Smith 2011-01-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20110104062357/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/144652 4 January 2011 live Its overall ratings boost also helped NBC win the evening as the most watched network for January 1, 2011. These marks were achieved despite the seven-hour postponement of the game, which prevented network promotion of the new ad hoc 8 p.m. start time; many program guides still listed the timeslot as featuring a rerun of Law & Order: Los Angeles. Pittsburgh and Washington led the ratings, with Baltimore, which is part of the Capitals' territory, in third. Buffalo, New York, was the highest-rated outside market, despite a Buffalo Sabres game playing opposite the Winter Classic.Wyshinski, Greg (2011-01-03). (Update) NHL Winter Classic gives NBC key ratings win in prime time. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2011-01-03. Due to the delay, CBC's regularly scheduled Hockey Night in Canada game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators was only shown in its entirety for viewers in Ontario, with the remainder of the country breaking away for the Winter Classic at 8:00 p.m ET. CBC stations in Alberta subsequently broke away from the Winter Classic at 10:00 p.m. ET to begin coverage of the Calgary Flames/Edmonton Oilers game. CBC Sports live streamed all three games on its website.Hockey Night in Canada broadcast details http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hockey-night-in-canada-broadcast-details-1.1001186 CBC Sports 10 March 2016 Legends Game thumb|Capitals alumni celebrate Peter Bondra's tying goal. The NHL Legends Game was played on December 31 in the morning. The game, which featured notable alumni from both the Penguins and the Capitals, was played in two 20-minute periods and ended in 5–5 tie. Penguins goals were scored by Rob Brown, Rod Buskas, Craig Simpson, Jay Caufield and Ron Francis. Mario Lemieux had two assists, Paul Mulvey of the Capitals had two goals, while Alan May, Mark Lofthouse and Peter Bondra scored one each. Bondra's goal tied the game with 45 seconds remaining and the game ended in a tie, as it did not have overtime or a shootout.Roarke Shawn P. http://www.wpxi.com/sports/26320190/detail.html Alumni Game Ends In Tie; Lemieux Gets 2 Points 2010-12-31 2010-12-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20110101200116/http://www.wpxi.com/sports/26320190/detail.html 1 January 2011 dead http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=547796 https://web.archive.org/web/20110104080523/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=547796 dead January 4, 2011 Final Rosters Set For Pens-Caps Alumni Game December 30, 2010 NHL.com 2011-01-16 left|thumb|Penguins and Capitals alumni squads salute the crowd after the game. The Penguins alumni wore the 1968–72 styled powder blue jerseys, Pittsburgh's former third jersey that was introduced in the 2008 Winter Classic. The Capitals alumni wore Washington's current home red jerseys. Several complaints were made by the fans in attendance. Prior to the game starting, there were complaints regarding the sale of the tickets to game, which went on sale at 10:00 a.m. on December 17, 2010 for $25 a piece. Only 10,000 tickets were available for sale by the NHL, while Heinz Field has a capacity of over 68,111 seats for hockey. Many fans who tried to obtain tickets from Ticketmaster at exactly 10:00 a.m., either via the internet or by telephone could not get access to the company. Many of the locked-out fans complained that most of the people who got tickets were ticket scalpers or people trying to sell them online. By 10:14 a.m., the first two tickets showed up for sale on the Pittsburgh craigslist website for $250 a piece. Throughout the day, there were several entries on eBay and craigslist seeking as much as $699.99 for two tickets and $1,380 for a set of four.DiPaola Jerry http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_714279.html It's classic instance of supply vs. demand 2010-12-18 2011-01-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20101222010314/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_714279.html 2010-12-22 dead The most vocal complaints were reserved for the time it took for many fans to get inside the stadium. Well into the first period of the two-period game, people reportedly still were entering Heinz Field. This was due to the stadium having only one open gate that morning, Gate B. Several fans further stated that not all the turnstiles were being used, a claim disputed by the Steelers, who spoke on behalf of stadium operations. Some confused fans also waited for other gates to open, which never happened.Cohn Bob http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_716247.html Penguins, Capitals alumni game mostly a hit 2011-01-01 2011-01-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20110105063209/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_716247.html 2011-01-05 dead Some spectators also complained that the game ended in a 5–5 tie with no overtime or shootout. Penguins alumnus Phil Bourque said after the game that "I think everybody's a little disappointed that we didn't get to the shootout, because it would have been great to see Mario. Pittsburgh would have gone with all Hall of Famers, of course, in our shootout group." Penguins alumni coach Eddie Johnston later stated that his shootout plan consisted of having Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Bryan Trottier participating in that order.Molinari Dave http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11001/1114921-61.stm#ixzz1A5BZgaFG Winter Classic: Alumni have fun on new ice despite tie 2011-01-01 2011-01-04 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette https://web.archive.org/web/20110103041250/http://post-gazette.com/pg/11001/1114921-61.stm 3 January 2011 dead Legends rosters Washington Capitals # Player Position22CANGreg Adams LW 33CAN Don Beaupre G 12SVK Peter Bondra (C) RW 20CAN Dino Ciccarelli RW 3CAN Sylvain Cote D 19CAN John Druce RW 28CAN Dean Evason C 10USA Alan Hangsleben D 9CAN Nick Kypreos LW 7CAN Yvon Labre D 24CAN Gord Lane D 18CAN Craig Laughlin RW 8CAN Mark Lofthouse RW 21CAN Dennis Maruk C 16CAN Alan May RW 27CAN Paul Mulvey LW 24CAN Robert Picard D 20CZE Michal Pivonka C 16CAN Errol Rausse LW 2CANPat Ribble D 17CAN Mike Ridley C 31USA J. R. Reich G 2CAN Ken Sabourin D 23CAN Blair Stewart C/LW 24CANScott Walker RWCoaches: Granny Grant, Joe Reekie and Rod Langway 1em Pittsburgh Penguins # Player Position66CAN Mario Lemieux (C) C 10CAN Ron Francis C 77CAN Paul Coffey D 19CAN Bryan Trottier C 55CAN Larry Murphy D 13USA Bill Guerin RW 29CAN Phil Bourque LW 4CAN Rob Brown RW 7CAN Rod Buskas D 16USA Jay Caufield RW 12CAN Bob Errey LW 32CAN Dave Hannan LW 18CAN Francois Leroux D 24CAN Troy Loney LW 12CAN Greg Malone C 27CAN Gilles Meloche G 18CAN Craig Simpson LW 1CAN Frank Pietrangelo G 23CAN Gary Rissling LW 22CAN Rick Tocchet RW 22CAN Gary Roberts LW 25USA Kevin Stevens LW 32USAPeter Taglianetti D 35USAWarren Young CCoaches: Eddie Johnston, Randy Hillier and Pierre Larouche.Honorary GM was Jack Riley. 1em Documentary HBO aired a four-part documentary chronicling the preparation of the two teams for the game as part of its award-winning sports series 24/7. The first episode aired on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 10 p.m. ET, http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=538391 https://web.archive.org/web/20100924111625/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=538391 dead September 24, 2010 NHL, HBO announce 24/7 series featuring Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and NHL Winter Classic Rosen Dan September 23, 2010 NHL.com 2011-01-16 with three additional episodes following each subsequent Wednesday. The series chronicled each team's seasons leading up to the Winter Classic, and emphasized the rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin and between the Penguins and Capitals. The series served as inspiration for Canadian author Rachel Reid to write her 2019 novel Heated Rivalry,Heated Rivalry Reid Rachel Carina Press 2019 9781488051241 Acknowledgements Rachel Reid (author) which was adapted into a television series of the same name in 2025. Associated games The week leading up to the Winter Classic featured a number of hockey-related events. On Thursday, December 30, 2010, the Robert Morris Colonials and the RIT Tigers men's varsity hockey teams met at the Consol Energy Center in downtown Pittsburgh for an Atlantic Hockey league match.http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,18739/RobertMorrisRITGetWinterClassicTuneupSpot.html Robert Morris, RIT Get Winter Classic Tuneup Spot August 25, 2010 USCHO.com https://web.archive.org/web/20100901154253/http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,18739/RobertMorrisRITGetWinterClassicTuneupSpot.html September 1, 2010 August 28, 2010 dead The college game was followed that evening by an American Hockey League matchup between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hershey Bears, the top minor-league affiliates of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, respectively. Entertainment During the first intermission, The Clarks performed near the ice. Jimmy Fallon introduced the band prior to their performance. The rock band Styx appeared during the second intermission performing "Renegade", a fan-favorite at Steelers games.Heinz Field great host for Winter Classic https://www.steelers.com/news/heinz-field-great-host-for-winter-classic-3204220 Steelers.com January 1, 2024 January 3, 2011Leone Tim Commentary: HBO produces classic series https://www.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/01/commentary_hbo_produces_classi.html January 1, 2024 The Patriot-News Harrisburg, Pennsylvania January 7, 2011 en See also 2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins season 2010–11 Washington Capitals season 2011 Heritage Classic List of outdoor ice hockey games List of ice hockey games with highest attendance Capitals–Penguins rivalry References External links Official Winter Classic website Penguins Winter Classic website Webcam of rink construction Game boxscore Ted Leonsis open letter to Winter Classic fans Category:NHL Winter Classic Winter Classic NHL Winter Classic Category:Pittsburgh Penguins games Category:Washington Capitals games Category:2011 in Pittsburgh Category:Ice hockey competitions in Pittsburgh Category:January 2011 sports events in the United States