Eliot: The Winter Classic is over, but the hockey excitement has just begun
By Darren Eliot –
The Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium and the Hockeytown Winter Festival at Comerica Park have come and gone. Both left lasting images and memories that will endure the test of time in these parts. I got the sense that the special bond between players and fans/fans and players that is present here in Detroit was made even stronger. That is the overriding sense that I took away from the proceedings. It was the perfect blend of what goes together oh so well: holidays and hockey.
Now that the calendar has flipped to 2014, ushered in by the Winter Classic, what do we have to look forward to when it comes to hockey? The answer in Michigan is plenty.
The Winter Olympics begin in February, and there are plenty of reasons why Michigan’s hockey audience will be invested in the international competition. The games are in Sochi, Russia, which makes following more challenging than when the games are in North America. Still, the hockey will be fantastic as Team USA tries to win gold after taking home silver in 2010 in Vancouver.
Local interest in Team USA begins in goal with former Spartan and Lansing native Ryan Miller and current Red Wings’ netminder Jimmy Howard both named to the team. Further, local products Ryan Kesler and Cam Fowler are both Team USA members, with Fowler growing his game with the Anaheim Ducks to the point where the selection committee had to name him. Kesler’s game with the Vancouver Canucks has returned to top tier status after a couple of injury plagued campaigns.
Then there is the fact that 10 Red Wings will compete in these games: Howard (USA); Henrik Zetterberg, Daniel Alfredsson, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Jonas Gustavsson (Sweden); Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco (Slovakia) and Pavel Datsyuk (Russia). Meaning there are plenty of compelling storylines for fans to follow during the Olympics in February.
The month of March is all about the state tournament at the youth level. It is one of the most extensive cross sections of competition you will find anywhere, as girls’ and boys’ teams vie for the title at their respective age brackets. They narrow down from leagues to districts to the state tournament, with different ages and levels hosted at various locations across the state. Visit MAHA.org to see complete youth state title schedules. The season culminates with the MiHockey Banquet of Champions in mid-April, where all of the winning teams come together to fittingly celebrate their accomplishments.
High school hockey’s best will also come to Compuware in the first week of March to compete for state titles. Will Brighton, Livonia Stevenson or Cranbrook be able to defend their crowns? The high school hockey games at Comerica Park during the Winter Festival showed all that this will be another exciting race towards the high school state playoffs for teams across Michigan.
It won’t be a half; more like a 30-game sprint to the NHL playoffs for the Detroit Red Wings. For over two decades, the Red Wings appearing in the playoffs has become a rite of spring around here. But, as was the case last season, it will take a strong finish to cement their playoff seeding. An injury-plagued first half brought the Red Wings back to the pack in the Eastern Conference. Last season’s final week and seven-game, first -ound win over the Anaheim Ducks was exhilarating. Hold on again for a wild ride to the regular-season conclusion that features four meetings with the Montreal Canadiens – a historic rivalry renewed via the Atlantic Division. Then there are the NHL playoffs themselves, which are the most intense and grueling grind to glory there is anywhere. Two months of series-based hockey is as good as it gets in all of sport.
Beyond that, there are the first-ever B1G playoffs to consider. A precursor to that event is the annual Michigan vs. Michigan State game at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday, Jan. 23, where the Wolverines will look to avenge a 3-0 loss to the Spartans at the Great Lakes Invitational tournament at Comerica Park. All of that leads to the NCAA Regionals, culminating with the Frozen Four in Philadelphia.
Then you have the Grand Rapids Griffins and their Calder Cup title defense. Many players have seen substantial time during the first half of the season with the Red Wings, yet coach Jeff Blashill has been able to guide his group to the top of the standings. The postseason looks to be a certainty. Another Calder Cup is the quest.
Meanwhile, the Plymouth Whalers and Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL are all pushing for the playoffs in their respective leagues. Meaning, there are so many hockey options at every level of competition imaginable, it won’t be long before the Winter Classic and Hockeytown Winter Festival are distant memories.
But what special memories they will always be.