ET start time to 8:00 p.m. due to weather concerns,[1][2] was telecast on NBC in the United States, and CBC (English) and RDS (French) in Canada.

Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho performed the Star Spangled Banner and Pittsburgh sports legends Mario Lemieux, Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis presided over the ceremonial dropping of the puck, and during the second intermission Harris and Bettis hosted a fan event at the outside rink.

[4] Most notably, the Classic pitted two recent number-one draft picks against each other: Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin (2004) and Penguins center Sidney Crosby (2005); both players entered the league in the same year, 2005, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout and contributed to a rivalry between the two teams that has been growing since the early 1990s.

The bad luck with the jersey continued, as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal all suffered injuries in other games wearing the uniforms.

If neither date had reasonable weather, the game would have been postponed and the matchup rescheduled indoors at Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) later in the season.

[8] As New Year's Day approached weather forecasts solidified that by late afternoon the Pittsburgh region would be cooling to the 40s and eventually 30s, and major precipitation would be over by early evening for the duration of the weekend.

Following their performances, Pittsburgh sports legends Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and Mario Lemieux joined U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Bradley T. Tinstman for the ceremonial puck drop.

As with the 2008 and 2009 games in Ralph Wilson Stadium and Wrigley Field, the NHL announced a rule change to account for any adverse weather conditions that could give either team an unfair advantage.

Due to high winds, the teams changed sides an additional time, at the first whistle after the halfway point of the third period.

These marks were achieved despite the seven-hour postponement of the game, which prevented network promotion of the new ad hoc 8 p.m. start time; many program guides still listed the timeslot as featuring a rerun of Law & Order: Los Angeles.

[14] Due to the delay, CBC's regularly-scheduled Hockey Night in Canada game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators was only shown in its entirety for viewers in Ontario, with the remainder of the country breaking away for the Winter Classic at 8:00 p.m ET.

Penguins goals were scored by Rob Brown, Rod Buskas, Craig Simpson, Jay Caufield and Ron Francis.

Mario Lemieux had two assists, Paul Mulvey of the Capitals had two goals, while Alan May, Mark Lofthouse and Peter Bondra scored one each.

Penguins alumni coach Eddie Johnston later stated that his shootout plan consisted of having Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Bryan Trottier participating in that order.

HBO aired a four-part documentary chronicling the preparation of the two teams for the game as part of its award-winning sports series 24/7.

The series chronicled each team's seasons leading up to the Winter Classic, and emphasized the rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin and between the Penguins and Capitals.