ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Not all days are created equal. Some days are a little more special than others.

If you're a University of Michigan graduate, a Wolverines die-hard, or a hockey nut, it really can't get much better than stepping onto the ice at Michigan Stadium. I am all three, and having the chance to skate on the rink that has been created for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in the middle of the Big House was more than a dream come true. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will cherish for a lifetime.

The schedule of events Monday afternoon included both a free skate and a pickup game for the media. Approximately 25 members of the media took part in the game, which was played in the middle of the afternoon, right after the free skate.

I would not be exaggerating to say that I have looked forward to this day since Michigan Stadium was first announced as the host of this game nearly two years earlier.

One of the many great features of the Winter Classic is the location. The first one in 2008 was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, and through the years the NHL has played the game in parks venerable (Wrigley Field, Fenway Park) and modernized (Heinz Field, Citizens Bank Park).

Michigan Stadium, used mainly for football but also the venue for the "Big Chill at the Big House" college hockey game in 2012 between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, will host the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. Each year presents different planning agendas for schemes that work best in football and baseball stadiums in terms of getting the rink to fit dimensions and go with the shape of each facility.

The League will get plenty of practice as the regular season progresses. Following the 2014 Winter Classic are Coors Light Stadium Series games at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles), Yankee Stadium (New York) and Soldier Field (Chicago), and the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic at BC Place in Vancouver.

There isn't a player in the Canadian Hockey League who can match the offensive prowess of Nicolas Petan of the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks over the past two seasons.

That success has certainly carried over into the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship as a member of the Canadian National Junior Team.

Petan, who has 186 points in the past 103 games to lead all scorers in the CHL since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, scored two of the biggest goals of his career on Monday to help rally Canada to a 5-3 victory against Slovakia in preliminary round action before 2,558 fans at Malmo Isstadion in Sweden.

After spotting Slovakia a 3-1 lead in the second, the Canadians roared back to score four unanswered goals to earn their second win in the Group A bracket. Canada will conclude play in Group A against the United States on New Year's Eve at 11:30 a.m. ET (NHLN-US, NHL.com). Slovakia will meet Czech Republic in its final preliminary-round match on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. ET.

"This win was a huge boost of confidence for us," forward Jonathan Drouin told TSN.ca. "Every team is good in this tournament and we had a great comeback by our team. But it's behind us and now we have a big game [against the United States]."

VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo was back on the ice Monday morning after a suspected groin injury forced him out of a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 22.

Luongo wasn't made available to the media after his hour-long skate and isn't expected to play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but looked fine running through a series of movement and recovery drills with goaltending coach Roland Melanson. He pushed off both legs on his skates and from his knees, dropping into and lifting up out of the butterfly while stopping shots.

Joacim Eriksson, called up from the American Hockey League after Luongo was hurt, was also on the ice and remained on the roster. He is expected to back up Eddie Lack, who improved to 7-2-0 with an 18-save, 2-0 shutout win against the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

Vancouver did call up rookie defenseman Frank Corrado from Utica of the AHL on Monday morning after Andrew Alberts was knocked out of the game on Sunday by a high hit from Calgary forward Brian McGrattan. Alberts joins Alexander Edler (right knee) and Ryan Stanton (left ankle) on the sidelines, though Edler, who was hurt in a game on Dec. 3, was among four players who skated Monday.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks are close to getting their top goalie back.

Corey Crawford, who has missed nine straight games with a lower-body injury that's reportedly a groin issue, said he felt "great" after participating in the Blackhawks' morning skate Monday at United Center.

Crawford won't dress Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2), but is set to make his return during a pending two-game road trip to play back-to-back at the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils on Thursday and Friday.

"I feel great," said Crawford, who skated in a team workout for the first time since leaving the lineup Dec. 8 at home against the Florida Panthers. "After the Christmas break everything's gone well. I haven't felt the injury at all on the ice, so I'm ready to go."

OTTAWA -- A light workload the previous day against the Buffalo Sabres helped make it possible for Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer to earn a fourth straight start Monday against the Ottawa Senators.

Washington coach Adam Oates decided to start Grubauer on consecutive days after he stopped 16 of 17 shots Sunday in the Capitals' 2-1 shootout loss in Buffalo. The 22-year-old German rookie held the Sabres scoreless through the first five rounds of the tiebreaker before Steve Ott scored the winner on Buffalo's sixth attempt.

"I thought he played a really good game," Oates said. "We outshot them 50 to something, 15, 16, and he didn't have a lot of work chances-wise, and I think that he's got plenty of energy for tonight."

Braden Holtby has two starts in the Capitals' previous eight games.

"It's a long year and there's going to be plenty of opportunity," Oates said.

Jimmy Howard is set to make his return to the Detroit Red Wings' crease and another familiar face will also be back in the lineup Monday when they face the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Darren Helm, who hasn't played since Dec. 4 due to a shoulder injury, practiced on a line with Tomas Jurco and Justin Abdelkader at the morning skate and coach Mike Babcock said he will play, according to a report from Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Helm has seven goals and three assists in 15 games this season.

Howard will start against the Predators in the Red Wings' final tune-up for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium. A sprained MCL has kept Howard out since Dec. 10. Howard is 6-8-7 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 21 appearances.

Johan Franzen also skated for the Red Wings for the first time since suffering a concussion on Dec. 15. However, he said he's not symptom-free and won't be ready to play by the Winter Classic.

After months of waiting, the big day in Ann Arbor, Mich., is almost here. On Wednesday morning the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will face off in the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic (1 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS), and it should be an amazing scene in an amazing building.

When it comes to outdoor games, of course the biggest concern is almost always going to be the weather. Sometimes that can affect the game like the rain did in Pittsburgh three years ago and it will certainly impact players, but personally, that's what I love about games like this. I like the fact that it's not going to be perfect. I like the fact that there might be snow, and that you'll see guys with cold breath coming out of their mouths and steam coming off their heads. Those are the images that make the event. It's not perfect. It's not controllable. That's what makes this so exciting compared to a regular-season NHL game.

Every building in the League is exactly the same now. They all hold 20,000 people, they're all bright, they all have the same-sized rink and they all have good ice. When the Leafs and Wings take the ice at Michigan Stadium, it won't be controllable and there will be elements the players aren't used to. That's what makes it so great.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The cold weather and overcast skies here Monday are working in Dan Craig's favor as the NHL's Senior Director of Facilities Operations prepares the ice surface at Michigan Stadium for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Wednesday (1 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

Craig said a group of workers were the first to skate on the ice late Sunday night and the reports were good. Craig was not at The Big House to watch the skate or participate because he was helping out at Comerica Park for the Ontario Hockey League doubleheader that was played there Sunday.

"It was solid," Craig said of the reports he received. "Nothing that we haven't dealt with before. It doesn't matter what sheet of ice you have, you want to skate it in. We want two or three days of skating, that's why we would have loved to have the day before as well as [Sunday] night, but we'll work with what we've got."

The sun that covered the rink for most of the afternoon hours Friday and Saturday didn't allow for the ice to be ready for a skate Saturday night, but that's why the NHL built extra days into the schedule to allow for some leeway.

Mats Zuccarello's one-year contract this summer didn't come with much fanfare.

In similar quiet fashion, he has proved to be as valuable as any New York Rangers forward so far in 2013-14 -- in fantasy and reality.

His play and effort have done all the talking. With the exception of his size and contract length, nothing about his game is diminutive.