Hawks left with sinking feeling after loss

As the late Badger Bob Johnson would have said, it was a great day for hockey Thursday at Wrigley Field.

In a magnificent setting before 40,818 at one of the greatest ballparks in America, the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings played a Winter Classic that lived up to the hype.

All that was missing for the Hawks was a victory.

While it still was a moment they'll remember for the rest of their lives, the Hawks were kicking themselves for losing 6-4 after they took a 3-1 lead out of the first period.

"It's definitely a tough pill to swallow," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "And it was a pretty big game. It goes beyond just the players that are out there playing on the ice.

"So I think it's disappointing that we couldn't come out with a win. I think it was a pretty sinking feeling in the locker room."

The Hawks appeared to be in business after getting goals from Kris Versteeg, Martin Havlat and Ben Eager in the first period, but it was all Red Wings after that.

"I think we did come out pretty hard and maybe gassed ourselves in the first period there," Versteeg said. "But it was so much fun to be out there in front of 42,000 screaming fans. That's an experience you're going to remember the rest of your life. It was just an amazing experience."

Big hitter: Defenseman Brent Seabrook tried to set a physical tone two minutes into the game when he sent Dan Cleary into the Hawks' bench with a check.

It was Cleary who set a physical tone Tuesday in Detroit with his hit on Patrick Kane in the first period.

But after Seabrook's hit, the Hawks weren't as physical as they promised to be, and the Red Wings turned the game their way with 3 goals in the second period.

"We gave them life to start the second period and they just kept going," Seabrook said. "You've got to step on their throat and we didn't close them out."

Looking ahead: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said repeatedly the league is not sure if it wants to stage a Winter Classic every year.

Maybe Bettman should rethink that.

The Winter Classic is proving to be hugely successful, generating every bit as much attention, maybe more, than the All-Star Game and even the Stanley Cup Finals for a league that needs it.

It also gives the NHL its highest television ratings.

"I think it should absolutely continue on," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

If there is an outdoor game next season the leading contenders for are believed to be Boston, New York and Colorado.

While Fenway Park would be great venue, The Boston Globe reported renovations will keep it out of play for a Classic until 2011 or 2012. A potential Boston venue, according to the Globe, would be Harvard Stadium.

"I have no idea where we're going next," Bettman said Thursday. "We haven't given it any thought."

Wherever the next Winter Classic is played, it's going to be tough to top Wrigley Field.

"I think the Chicago Blackhawks are going to set a new standard for the NHL in marketing," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I was very impressed with today."

Tip-ins: The Red Wings presented Hawks executive Scotty Bowman with his Stanley Cup ring from last season in a brief ceremony Wednesday at home plate. - Adam Burish and Aaron Johnson were the Hawks scratches. - When Cristobal Huet was yanked in the third period, it marked the first time a Hawks goalie has been pulled all season.