SCOOP CITY! In a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Blackhawks have been tabbed to participate in the 2025 Winter Classic. Their opponent? Rival St. Louis Blues. The annual New Year’s Day hockey face-off will take place at Wrigley Field and will be the Blackhawks’ fifth time participating in the Winter Classic. It’s the second time Wrigley Field will play host, and it’s the second time the Blackhawks and Blues will face each other.
Unfortunately, for the Blackhawks, the Winter Classic has not been kind to the five-time Stanley Cup champions. They are 0-4 in their four appearances.
- 2009 | Wrigley Field | Chicago, IL | Detroit Red Wings (6) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4)
- 2015 | Nationals Park | Washington D.C. | Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Washington Capitals (3)
- 2017 | Busch Stadium | St. Louis, MO | Chicago Blackhawks (1) vs. St. Louis Blues (4)
- 2019 | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, IN | Boston Bruins (4) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (2)
Yeah, not great. A couple of takeaways from the report:
- The official announcement for the 2025 Winter Classic will come during the Wednesday night NHL broadcast on TNT.
- The Blackhawks and Blues played in the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Blues won 4-1.
- This will be the second time Wrigley Field is hosting the Winter Classic. They hosted the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. Fenway Park is the only other venue to host multiple classics.
The Blackhawks are not great. In fact, they are the worst team in all of hockey with only 30 points and a league-worst 105 goals scored. The future is bright(er), though, with teenage phenom Connor Bedard. And, given the Blackhawks futility this season, stands to reason that they would in line to add another young superstar going into the 2025 season, too.
It’s that buzz that landed the Hawks another Winter Classic game, and it makes sense that they’ll play host to the 2025 edition at the Friendly Confines. Let’s all just hope that next year’s iteration of the outdoor spectacle turns out a bit more fortuitous for the hometown Hawks.
Featured Image Credit via Flickr by Jay Clark (Clark/Addison)