Caps, Blackhawks turn Nationals Park into winter wonderland

Standing against the wall of an elevator descending to field level at Nationals Park, Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner blends in a little too well with the rest of the red-clad Capitals fans streaming into the ballyard for the National Hockey League's Bridgestone Winter Classic.

Nationals curly W sweater? Check. Winter Classic jacket to brave the chilly temps and biting breeze? You bet. Caps toque? Of course, even the little snowball on top seems both festive and appropriate. Sunglasses? All the better to battle the naturally occurring phenomenon that outfielder Bryce Harper nicknamed the "Sun Monster."

Lerner, a fixture at Nats games in the seats behind home plate, comes by his Capitals fandom honestly - he's also part of the ownership group at Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the Caps' parent, where he represents the Lerner, Cohen and Tanenbaum families.

Wearing a smile usually reserved for opening day or whenever the Nats clinch a division title, Lerner happily accepted congratulations from one of his fellow passengers for bringing the NHL's marquee event to Washington, D.C., for the first time.

"It's a great day," he said, "and it's a team effort."

Thousands of hockey fans jammed into Nationals Park on Thursday for the annual outdoor hockey game that both marks New Year's Day and has become a coveted event. D.C. has been angling for the Winter Classic for years and this is the Capitals' second appearance, having played the role of visitors at Heinz Field in 2011, when warmer-than-usual daytime temperatures forced the NHL to delay the puck being dropped until the evening when the mercury dipped into the 40s.

Nationals Park was transformed into a winter wonderland, though red was still the predominant color in the stands. Natitude was replaced by "Rocking the Red," faux snow surrounded the rink that stretched across what is normally the infield between the foul lines and a star-shaped cutout cradled the ice surface.

If there was any uncertainty which city was hosting the Winter Classic, the replica of the U.S. Capitol building in center field left no doubt. In front of the area normally patrolled by Denard Span, an imitation reflecting pool led the way to the rink. Before the game, players from the Fort Dupont Hockey Club and Rooftop Hockey League competed on the blue surface of the pool, and during pregame introductions, the Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks glided across the plane and to the regulation ice.

It took 3,000 gallons of coolant to freeze the NHL-sized ice surface and 350 gallons of paint to color the ice a shimmering white, while a 300-ton refrigeration unit kept the ice at the proper temperature. The crowd of 42,832 included more than 150 members of the five branches of the U.S. military and fans signed a giant card on the main concourse thanking service men and women for their selfless dedication. As fans streamed into the ballpark once gates opened at 11 a.m., there were more Blackhawks rooters than you would have thought, though the visitors have always drawn well at road games in D.C.

"Field looks different from this angle," tweeted Nationals reliever Jerry Blevins from his seats along the first base line. (At least there were no portable toilets set up in the home bullpen, a common occurrence when Nationals Park hosts concerts.) Blevins moved around the stadium, taking advantage of the opportunity to see the ballpark from something other than the bullpen, pitcher's mound or dugout. Closer Drew Storen tweeted that he tried to get into the home bullpen, but wasn't allowed.

Despite worries that the start of the game would be delayed by the position of the sun behind the home plate stands - which might have caused unsafe glare on the ice - the teams faced off as scheduled at 1:30 p.m. with shadows creeping steadily across the rink from bottom to top. It was 41 degrees when the puck was dropped, with 8 mph winds out of the west, gusting to 21 mph. The teams switched attacking sides at the 10-minute mark to eliminate any disadvantage from the glare, allowing the Capitals to score at both ends of the rink and jump to a 2-0 lead on goals by Eric Fehr and Alex Ovechkin.

Blevins was one of several Nationals players who got a different perspective of their spring and summer home turned into a hockey haven. Pitchers Tyler Clippard and Tanner Roark were also in attendance. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had no qualms about donning a red Blackhawks jersey and rooting for the team he followed while growing up in Chicago.

The Capitals won 3-2 when Troy Brouwer spun around on a loose puck in the left circle, scoring on a power play with 12.9 seconds left in regulation. The winning goal was met with a roar of approval and fans in the upper deck sailed thousands of seat cushions distributed for the Winter Classic toward the lower seating bowl.