from Bruce Dowbiggin at the Globe and Mail,

It was widely agreed (okay, we suggested it) that the Red Wings would be the only attraction for HBO’s cameras in the four-part run-up to the game. Detroit in the postseason every year for two decades. Pavel Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg. Mike Babcock. Gordie Howe. The octopus.

Toronto? They haven’t lifted the Stanley Cup since 1967. The Brian Burke circus. Dion Phaneuf and the goofy Red Bull hat in the dressing room. C’mon, how are they going to put this Duck Dynasty on HBO, home of Boardwalk Empire?

If the lockout had one saving grace, it was keeping this mismatch out of America’s homes.

Yet as we now point the telescope at the 2014 Winter Classic, it’s the Leafs (who won 4-3 last night over the Rangers) that are suddenly in the ascendancy. In transition from Nicklas Lidstrom, the Red Wings might miss the 2013 postseason while Toronto seems assured of its first playoff trip since Stephen Harper became PM. The blue team: arrow up. The red team: arrow down.

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