Having sat at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day, there was a thought of "yeah, this is nice, but it'd be better if these two teams met when it mattered," meaning the playoffs.

I think most of us thought that would be two or three seasons down the road, not four months later.

Assuming the Red Wings can put away the Ducks either tonight or Thursday (and, lets be honest: a Ducks/Hawks series would be bordering on anticlimatic), you would have a series that would be as close to a dream as you can ask for.

For the Blackhawks, it becomes a massive time check against the defending champions. For the Red Wings, it's a very competitive test against a team that plays like them: fast, high scoring, with multiple weapons. For the fans, it's the first time these two teams have met in the playoffs since 1995, and it brings this Original Six rivalry back to a boil.

The Winter Classic was the appetizer. Now it's time for the main course.