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| Date | December 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Wrigley Field | |||||||||||||||
| City | Chicago, Illinois | |||||||||||||||
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The 2025 NHL Winter Classic is an upcoming outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series. The game is scheduled to be played on December 31, 2024, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field in Chicago. [1]
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. [1] [2] Several media sources however leaked the game's site and opponents on the day before. [3] [4] [5]
This would be 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 would also be Wrigley Field's second time hosting an NHL outdoor game, having previously hosted the 2009 NHL Winter Classic. [1]
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 will take place in the gap between the 2024 Texas Bowl ending and the Fiesta Bowl's kickoff) is intended to make the event "something (...) very unique on that day." [6]
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+.
Raymond Vincent Ferraro is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current broadcaster for ESPN/ABC and select Vancouver Canucks games on Sportsnet. He played for 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers (1984–1990), New York Islanders (1990–1995), New York Rangers (1995–1996), Los Angeles Kings (1996–1999), Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2002), and St. Louis Blues (2002).
The NHL Winter Classic is an annual outdoor ice hockey game played during the National Hockey League's (NHL) regular season on or around New Year's Day. It is generally held in a football or baseball stadium in the United States in an area with a resident NHL team, though for most of the game's existence, they are usually played in a baseball stadium to avoid scheduling and logistical conflicts with football stadiums during the National Football League regular season. The Winter Classic is distinct from the league's two other series of outdoor games, the NHL Heritage Classic and the NHL Stadium Series. The first Winter Classic was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Fifteen Winter Classics have been held as of January 2024. The most recent game was played during the 2023–24 NHL season at T-Mobile Park, with the Seattle Kraken defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3−0.
The 2009 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The second edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Chicago Blackhawks against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the 701st game between the Central Division rivals. The Red Wings won the game, 6–4, despite falling behind 3–1 in the first period. It was the first Winter Classic to involve at least one of the Original Six teams, and the first to feature teams from the Western Conference.
The 2013–14 NHL season was the 97th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season features a realignment of the league's 30 teams from a six to a four division format. The regular season began October 1, and concluded April 13. The Stanley Cup playoffs began April 16.
Hockey Weekend Across America is an annual event devised by USA Hockey to promote the game of ice hockey in the United States. The weekend is capped by "Hockey Day in America", with broadcasts of National Hockey League games on the national networks of NBC (2011–2021) and TNT (2024–present).
The 2016–17 NHL season was the 100th season of operation of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams were competing in an 82-game regular season from October 12, 2016, to April 9, 2017. The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 12 and concluded on June 11, with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup over the Nashville Predators in six games. On June 11, the Pittsburgh Penguins became the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997–98, winning the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup and their third in nine seasons.
The Stadium Series is one of the series of regular season outdoor games played in the National Hockey League (NHL). This event is distinct from the NHL's other two series of outdoor games, the NHL Winter Classic played on New Year's Day in a different NHL city every year, and the NHL Heritage Classic. Games in the Stadium Series have been held in either late January, February, or early March in a football or baseball stadium in the United States. The first Stadium Series was held in 2014 and consisted of seven teams participating in four games held in three venues. In 2015, only one game in the Stadium Series was held, while in 2016 and in 2024, two games were held. From 2017 to 2023 and again in 2025, only one game was scheduled per year.
The 2013–14 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 88th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Blackhawks were attempting to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, a feat that had not been accomplished in the NHL since the Detroit Red Wings won consecutive championships in 1997 and 1998.
The National Hockey League (NHL) first held a regular season outdoor ice hockey game in 2003, and since 2008 the league has scheduled at least one per year.
The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes prior to the season.
The 2016 NHL Stadium Series was a series of two outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) games played during the 2015–16 NHL season. The 2016 Stadium Series consisted of the Minnesota Wild versus the Chicago Blackhawks at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on February 21, 2016, and the Colorado Avalanche versus the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in Denver on February 27, 2016.
The 2017 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 2, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The ninth edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the St. Louis Blues against the Chicago Blackhawks; the Blues won, 4−1. The game was announced on March 9, 2016, after news of the matchup had been leaked on February 7 before the details had been finalized, and was one of four outdoor regular season games during the 2016–17 NHL season.
The NHL Centennial Classic was a regular season outdoor National Hockey League (NHL) game that was held on January 1, 2017. The game featured the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field in Toronto. This was the first time an NHL outdoor game was played in Toronto.
The 2022 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2022, at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 13th edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the St. Louis Blues against the Minnesota Wild; the Blues won, 6–4. The game was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 NHL Stadium Series was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Stadium Series of games. The game took place on February 26, 2022, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, with the Nashville Predators hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was the first NHL outdoor game for the Lightning and the second for the Predators.
The 2021–22 NHL season was the 105th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Seattle Kraken. The league had an October-to-April regular season scheduling and a full 82-game regular season for the first time since the 2018–19 NHL season as the previous two NHL seasons were shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league also restored its pre-COVID-19 Eastern and Western conferences. The season began on October 12.
The NHL on TNT is an American presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by TNT Sports, and televised on TNT and streamed on Max in the United States.
The 2024 NHL Winter Classic was a regular season outdoor National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Seattle Kraken and the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. The game was played at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, before a crowd of 47,313 spectators. The Kraken defeated the Golden Knights 3–0 and became the first team to earn a shutout in a Winter Classic.
The 2024–25 NHL season is the ongoing 108th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season started on October 4, 2024, when the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils played the first of two games in Prague, Czech Republic, as a part of the 2024 NHL Global Series. The Stanley Cup playoffs are then planned to begin in April 2025, ending with the Stanley Cup Finals in June. This season is the first for the expansion Utah Hockey Club, who were established with the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes following the latter team's deactivation.
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