Next Winter Classic will be in Dallas, likely without the Blackhawks
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The NHL made several announcements for the league's showcase games in the coming year.
Chief among them was the 2020 Winter Classic, which will be hosted by the Dallas Stars at the Cotton Bowl. No opponent has been named, but Commissioner Gary Bettman said it's very unlikely to be the Blackhawks or Bruins, who played Tuesday in the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium.
"As a general matter, you (don't) use a team two years in a row," Bettman said.
According to Kyle Roberts of WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas, the city's average high temperature on Jan. 1 is 54.3 degrees. Measurable rain falls 25 percent of the time.
The NHL also announced:
• Calgary will face Winnipeg at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan in a Heritage Classic game on Oct. 26.
• Colorado will host an NHL Stadium Series game at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Feb. 15, 2020.
• The 2020 All-Star Game will be in St. Louis on Jan. 26, 2020.
Scream and shout:
Near the end of the second period of the Winter Classic on Tuesday, Jonathan Toews was sitting on the edge of the Blackhawks bench, adamantly arguing with referee Francis Charron. Toews' arms were waving over and over as he screamed at Charron for nearly a minute.
"We got a penalty in the third that was - as we call it - the old can opener," Toews said. "Guy gets his stick tangled up in your arms and opens you wide up. We took a penalty like that in the third and I thought there was a couple that looked like that in the second, so I got a little fired up there. …
"I think we both - or at least I - cooled down a little bit in the third there, so it was all good."
Slap shots:
With an assist on Dominik Kahun's second-period goal, Jonathan Toews (2G, 5A in 6 games) tied Henrik Zetterberg (7 assists in 4 games) for most points in outdoor games. … Road teams are now 16-8-2 in the NHL's 26 outdoor games. … John Hayden and Chris Kunitz were the Blackhawks' healthy scratches. …
Connor Murphy had 6 hits and 3 blocked shots in 18:09 TOI for the Hawks. … Brent Seabrook had 4 giveaways and was a minus-1 in 15:35. … David Pastrnak had a goal and assist for Boston, giving him 24 goals and 26 assists on the season. … Tuesday's crowd of 76,126 was the second-largest for an outdoor game in NHL history, behind the 105,491 who packed Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2014, for a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.
He said it:
"I thought the anthem was cool in our United Center, but that was something really special."
- Connor Murphy
He said it II:
"I'm sure there's a lot of people that are used to watching football games in this building and came to watch a hockey game today, so it's pretty cool to be in that atmosphere."
- Jonathan Toews