After hearing of a possible cancellation and rain delay, at 7 p.m., I found myself standing outside of Heinz Field waiting with 68,000 other fans before the gates opened for one of the most exciting hockey games of the year on Jan. 1. As a game between the NHL’s most heated rivalry, the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, was minutes away, fans began to file into their seats. It was clear that Caps fans would be outnumbered in one of the biggest sports towns in the country, but glimmers of red and white were dispersed throughout the dominant black and gold.

With the drop of a puck, the tension in the stands was at its peak. Just after the 12 minute mark, a huge uproar came when Capitals defenseman John Erskine and Penguins forward Mike Rupp dropped their gloves in a fight resulting in a 5 minute major penalty for both. Up until this point, I have never heard a more deafening sound.

It was clear that the uncharacteristically warm night was not ideal for a solid sheet of ice frozen on top of the Steelers’ home field. Even though there were no injuries recorded at the game, the slush-like conditions became a clear issue when Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin tripped on one of the many craters in the ice.

In the second period, both teams seemed to pick up their games, but when Pittsburgh scored the first goal of the game, the Capitals were not going to let another slip through their gloves. Only a week before, Washington racked up an overtime loss against the Pittsburgh at home after a hard fought battle.

From then on things turned around in favor of the Capitals. With a goal from veteran Mike Knuble and two from second-line forward Eric Fehr, the two-goal lead solidified a win for Washington.

However, the unsung hero of the night was clearly goaltender Semeyon Varlamov, who saved 32 of 33 shots. The experience would have been memorable with any outcome, but the Capitals’ victory made the night even sweeter.