Nearly 16 years after it first hosted the game, Wrigley Field welcomes back the NHL Winter Classic this week as the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues.
Wrigley Field also hosted the 2009 edition of the event, which was won by the Detroit Red Wings in one of the wildest games the annual tradition has produced.
This time around, Connor Bedard and company are hoping to snap a couple of different losing streaks as hockey in Chicago takes center stage.
Here is everything you need to know about the game.
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When is the NHL Winter Classic?
This year’s game will be contested on New Year’s Eve, with puck drop slated for just after 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT/2 p.m. PT, according to the NHL.
Where will the game air?
NHL
Under terms of the NHL’s contract with multiple TV networks, this year’s game will air on TNT. It will also be available on truTV, and will stream live on Max, according to the league.
How many Winter Classics have the Blackhawks hosted?
This year’s game will mark the third time the Blackhawks have hosted a Winter Classic in team history. The 2009 game at Wrigley Field saw the Red Wings take down a 6-4 triumph, while the 2019 game at Notre Dame Stadium was won 4-2 by the Boston Bruins.
The Blackhawks have played in a total of four Winter Classic games, losing the 2015 game against the Washington Capitals at Nationals Park and the 2017 game against the Blues at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Have the Blackhawks won an outdoor game?
The Blackhawks will be playing in their seventh outdoor game when they hit the ice at Wrigley Field, but they’ve only won one of the previous six, taking down the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2014 Stadium Series game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
How many Winter Classics have the Blues won?
St. Louis won each of its two previous outdoor games. Along with their 2017 victory over Chicago, the Blues also defeated the Minnesota Wild in the 2022 Winter Classic.
What other venues have hosted the Winter Classic?
Wrigley Field will become one of two stadiums to have hosted multiple Winter Classic games, joining Fenway Park, which hosted the game in 2010 and in 2023.
Other stadiums to have hosted the annual game include Michigan Stadium, home of the Wolverines’ football team, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, and T-Mobile Park in Seattle, which hosted last year’s game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken.
How are the teams playing heading into this year’s game?
The Blackhawks had won three straight games earlier this month under interim head coach Anders Sorensen, but the team has been struggling badly of late, allowing 21 goals in their last four games, all losses to the Flames, Wild, Sabres and Stars.
Bedard has seemingly snapped out of his sophomore slump in the month of December however, with six goals and nine assists to his credit this month. He has registered points in four consecutive games, with three goals and three assists in those games.
The Blues meanwhile are working to get back in the playoff hunt under new head coach Jim Montgomery, and are currently four points behind the Vancouver Canucks in the wild card hunt. They are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.
They are led in scoring by centers Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, with defenseman Colton Parayko leading blue liners with six goals and 15 assists this season.
