I Watched This Game: The Great Midwest Outdoors

Another Winter Classic is in the books, and while the surrounding hype wasn't quite matched by the game itself, it is fair to say that the city of St. Louis did well in paying attention to detail when it came to putting on a show. Yes, I watched this game.

• It looks more like the Outdoor Fog Bowl.
• Also, due to sound being off (thankfully), there will be no commentary on in-between entertainment.
• The national anthem was performed on trumpet by Spencer Ludwig, which was not only done well, but also a tribute to St. Louis' musical history.
• Pet Peeve #1: For those at home, the last line of "Star Spangled Banner" is "Home of the BRAVE," not home of the BLUES or CHIEFS.
• The ceremonial puck drop was done by the Hulls, Bobby and Brett. It took them a minute to get the pucks, since someone forgot to supply them with one heading to the ice. I think this may have been planned, given the propensity of both Hulls to put on a show in their playing days.
• That didn't take long, as Michal Kempny's shot from the blue line deflects off of Jake Allen's glove and into the net to put the Blackhawks up 1-0.
• Pet Peeve #2: the ref cam. Was that really necessary?
• The Walking Penis Pierre McGuire is interviewing Ken Hitchcock, and for some reason, Hitchcock appears to be auditioning for role in the remake of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
• Alex Pietrangelo will feel shame for two minutes, as he got nicked for slashing.
• Brian Campbell tried to delay the game, but only gets two minutes in the box for his troubles.
• After one period, it's Blackhawks 1, Bules 0. No, that's not a typo, I'm just taking another shot at the Seattle Sounders supporters, as they once misspelled "blue" as "bule" on one of their banners.

• Back to the actual hockey action, Panarin will be sitting two minutes and feel shame for holding.
• The Blues don't score on the power play, but they do tie it up, thanks to a Jay Bouwmeester pass from the corner that Patrik Berglund tips past Corey Crawford.
• Robby Fabbri boarded, so he will be sitting for two minutes.
• Shortly after Chicago kills off the penalty, Ryan Hartman goes off for interference, and despite it carrying over into the third period, the game remains even at one once the penalty ends.
• Hartman didn't last long out of the box, as this time, slashing is how he gets nicked. Meanwhile, Niklas Hjalmarsson was seen limping off the ice. Fortunately, he didn't miss a shift and was just fine.
• Ryan Reaves heads off for interference.
• A Vladimir Tarasenko pass finds a bank shot off of Niklas Hjalmarsson's stick, which ends up in the back of the Chicago net to put the Blues up 2-1.
• Tarasenko strikes again. This time, he didn't need luck to score this time, putting the Blues up 3-1.
• What would life had been like for the Ottawa Senators had they kept their first round pick from 2010? The pick they surrendered? It went to the Blues, who took Tarasenko that year.
• Alex Steen puts a ribbon on the game with an empty net goal, and that is how the 2017 Winter Classic ends: Blues winning 4-1.

The conditions for the game weren't perfect, but the Blues found ways to go around it to send their fans home happy. The wisest move the Blues made was extending Tarasenko, as he is definitely their best goal scoring option.