Julia StumbaughApril 17, 2024
Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI through Getty Images
Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks will handle the St. Louis Blues on December 31 for next season’s NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.
The NHL revealed the date of the 16th Winter Classic on Wednesday night.
This marks the very first NHL outside video game ever used New Year’s Eve, and the 2nd ever played in December.
The occasion will likewise mark the very first time the Winter Classic is happening on a date aside from Jan. 1 or Jan. 2. The NHL started the New Year’s custom in 2008.
The home field of the Chicago Cubs formerly hosted the 2009 Winter Classic, throughout which the Blackhawks lost to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Blackhawks have actually played 6 regular-season video games in outside arenas. The group presently holds a 1-5 record in outside occasions, consisting of a triumph throughout the 2014 NHL Stadium Series versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Chicago will want to make the 2nd outside regular-season success in franchise history thanks to the addition of Bedard, whom the group gotten with the No. 1 choice of the 2023 NHL draft.
Sidelined for over a month by a fractured jaw, Bedard lived up to the buzz surrounding his novice season with 22 objectives and 61 points through 67 video games.
The Blackhawks are anticipating much more from Bedard in 2024-25, and the very first outside video game of his profession might be an emphasize.
The Blues will be playing in the 3rd outside regular-season video game in franchise history. The Blues won both of those previous contests, consisting of a success over the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic.
St. Louis will be led by Robert Thomas, who created the very best season of his profession in 2023-24 as he tape-recorded a personal-best 25 objectives and 85 points, and Jordan Binnington, who is entering his seventh season as the group’s beginning goaltender.
The Blues controlled the 2023-24 season series versus the Blackhawks, making a 3-1 record and outscoring Chicago 17-12 in 4 contests.