2025 NHL Winter Classic

Last updated

2025 NHL Winter Classic
2025 NHL Winter Classic logo.png
123Total
St. Louis Blues 2316
Chicago Blackhawks 1012
DateDecember 31, 2024
Venue Wrigley Field
City Chicago, Illinois
Attendance40,933 [1]
←  2024 2026  →

The 2025 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series. The game was played on December 31, 2024, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field in Chicago. [2] For the first time, two Winter Classics were held in the same calendar year, as the 2024 Winter Classic had been played on January 1, 2024. The Blues defeated the Blackhawks 6–2.

Contents

Background

Ice used for the game (photographed following the Frozen Confines college hockey games held January 3-4, 2025) Frozen Confines IMG 5839 after the last game (1).jpg
Ice used for the game (photographed following the Frozen Confines college hockey games held January 3–4, 2025)

The league announced the game on February 7, 2024, during the first intermission of the NHL on TNT's broadcast of the Tampa Bay Lightning–New York Rangers game. [2] [3] Several media sources however leaked the game's site and opponents on the day before. [4] [5] [6]

This was a rematch of the 2017 NHL Winter Classic, when the St. Louis Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 4−1, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. This was also Wrigley Field's second time hosting an NHL outdoor game, having previously hosted the 2009 NHL Winter Classic. [2]

New Year's Eve was chosen as the date for the Winter Classic, as opposed to its traditional New Year's Day scheduling, in response to the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12 beginning in the 2024–25 postseason. The Winter Classic had been on a steady decline in ratings, one exacerbated by the move to the cable-only TNT Sports in 2022, and the move to the less crowded slot on New Year's Eve afternoon (much of the game took place in the gap between the 2024 Texas Bowl ending and the Fiesta Bowl's kickoff) was intended to make the event "something (...) very unique on that day." [7] In practice, the move to New Year's Eve backfired, with viewership hitting an all-time low for the event, as one of the bowl games that partially overlapped with the game, the Citrus Bowl, featured the Illinois Fighting Illini football team (potentially diverting Illinois viewers away from the game); viewers also commented on social media of how they had not noticed the date change and had sought the game on television during New Year's Day only to find they had missed it, while others expressed burnout toward seeing the Blackhawks in yet another Winter Classic after losing all four previous appearances and sitting, at the time, in last place in the NHL's standings. The timing also meant that much of the country west of the Eastern Time Zone was at work or commuting home during the game, as New Year's Eve is not universally recognized as a work holiday. [8]

A moment of silence for former president of the United States Jimmy Carter who died two days earlier was held prior to the game.

Game summary

Scoring summary [9] [a]
PeriodTeam [b] GoalAssist(s)TimeScore
1stSTL Cam Fowler (2) Pavel Buchnevich (15), Robert Thomas (21)1:401–0 STL
STL Jordan Kyrou (16) Jake Neighbours (9), Dylan Holloway (12)8:102-0 STL
CHI Taylor Hall (8) Ryan Donato (10)15:262–1 STL
2ndSTL Justin Faulk (2) Philip Broberg (11), Oskar Sundqvist (3)7:153–1 STL
STL Dylan Holloway (14) Justin Faulk (10), Brayden Schenn (14)13:344–1 STL
STL Cam Fowler (3)Unassisted17:515–1 STL
3rdCHI Tyler Bertuzzi (12) Seth Jones (10), Connor Bedard (23)11:155–2 STL
STL Alexandre Texier (3) Justin Faulk (11), Nathan Walker (4)16:186–2 STL
Penalty summary [9]
PeriodTeamPlayerPenalty
1stCHI Louis Crevier Delaying Game
CHI Nolan Allan Holding
STL Philip Broberg Interference
2ndCHI Taylor Hall Hooking
STL Alexey Toropchenko Interference
CHI Nick Foligno Fighting
STL Brayden Schenn Fighting
3rdSTL Pavel Buchnevich Tripping
STL Zachary Bolduc Cross-checking
CHI Tyler Bertuzzi Slashing
STL Alexey Toropchenko Tripping
Three star selections [9]
TeamPlayerStatistics
1stSTL Cam Fowler 2 goals
2ndSTL Justin Faulk 1 goal, 2 assists
3rdCHI Taylor Hall 1 goal


Entertainment

The American national anthem was performed by Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison, accompanied by organist Carrie Marcotte and American Sign Language performer Samantha Taplin. This is Cornelison's third time performing the national anthem at the Winter Classic, following 2009 and 2019. Chicago-based rapper Chance the Rapper performed during the first intermission. Chicago-based rock group The Smashing Pumpkins performed during the player introductions while lead singer Billy Corgan performed "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

Broadcasting

In the United States, broadcasting rights to the game are held by TNT, with sister channel TruTV simulcasting, and streaming on Max. In Canada, rights are held by Sportsnet with streaming on Sportsnet+.

Notes

  1. ↑ Number in parentheses represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
  2. ↑ CHI – Chicago Blackhawks, STL – St. Louis Blues

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References

  1. ↑ Rosen, Dan. "Fowler, Blues defeat Blackhawks in NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field". NHL.com. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "2025 Winter Classic features Blackhawks, Blues in return to Wrigley Field". NHL.com. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ "2025 Winter Classic to be announced during Lightning-Rangers game". NHL. NHL. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Blackhawks to host 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field against Blues". Chicago Sun-Times. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Source: Hawks to host Winter Classic at Wrigley". ESPN. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Report: Blackhawks to host Winter Classic during 2024-25 season at Wrigley Field". Sportsnet. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ↑ Salao, Colin (December 6, 2024). "NHL Winter Classic Shifts to Jan. 1 Seeking Viewership Boost". Front Office Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, Michael (January 3, 2025). "NHL Shouldn't Panic About Worst-Ever Winter Classic Ratings". Front Office Sports. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Game Summary - 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic - Tuesday, December 31, 2024". National Hockey League . December 31, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
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