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] For the first time, two Winter Classics will be held in the same calendar year, as the 2024 Winter Classic had been played in January 2024.
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| Date | December 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Wrigley Field | |||||||||||||||
| City | Chicago, Illinois | |||||||||||||||
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Background
editThe 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]
Broadcasting
editIn 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+.
References
edit- ^ a b c "2025 Winter Classic features Blackhawks, Blues in return to Wrigley Field". NHL.com. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "2025 Winter Classic to be announced during Lightning-Rangers game". NHL. NHL. February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Blackhawks to host 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field against Blues". Chicago Sun-Times. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Source: Hawks to host Winter Classic at Wrigley". ESPN. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Report: Blackhawks to host Winter Classic during 2024-25 season at Wrigley Field". Sportsnet. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Salao, Colin (December 6, 2024). "NHL Winter Classic Shifts to Jan. 1 Seeking Viewership Boost". Front Office Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2024.