The NHL announced that the league’s sixteenth Winter Classic will be held in Chicago, IL next year. Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks’ 2023 first overall draft selection, will take center stage at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Blues.
The return to Chicago, one of the league’s premier markets, comes as fan interest in the special, midseason event appears to be waning. The 2024 edition of the game between the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park in Seattle was the first Winter Classic that hasn’t been the most-watched game of the regular season.
The 2025 news was announced during the first intermission of Wednesday night’s nationally televised game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.
The 2025 @Discover NHL #WinterClassic is headed to Wrigley Field! ❄️
It'll be the @StLouisBlues taking on the @NHLBlackhawks! pic.twitter.com/htVRJYm902
— NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2024
This will be the third time that the Blackhawks have hosted a Winter Classic after doing so against the Red Wings in 2009 and the Boston Bruins in 2019. Overall, it will be the franchise’s fifth time participating in the event, the most of any team.
Wrigley will become the second location to host multiple Winter Classic games after Fenway Park in Boston (2010, 2023). The Blackhawks-Blues matchup is the first repeat matchup in Winter Classic history after the Blues played host to Chicago at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in 2017.
Officially scoring this one a W
Coming soon ➡ 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field ❄️ Let’s do this @cubs! pic.twitter.com/N6KPad7ALW
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 8, 2024
The NHL has also scheduled the Blackhawks to play in two outdoor Stadium Series events in the past (2014, 2016). The Columbus Blue Jackets, one of just three NHL teams to never participate in an outdoor outing, are reportedly set to host a Stadium Series game at Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium in 2025.
Here’s the league’s full press release on the Winter Classic news:
2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic to Feature St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field
NEW YORK (Feb. 7, 2024) – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic® will feature the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the St. Louis Blues, at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. The game will be televised exclusively on TNT in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. Additional details for the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic®, including ticketing information and the game’s date and start time, will be announced when available. Fans can sign up for news and updates on the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic here.
The 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic® will mark the seventh NHL regular-season outdoor game for the Blackhawks and the second time the game has been hosted at Wrigley Field, the other being a 6-4 Blackhawks loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 NHL Winter Classic. It will mark the third regular-season outdoor game for the Blues. The Blackhawks are 1-5-0 in their regular-season outdoor appearances, and the Blues are 2-0-0 in such games, including a win over the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic at Busch Stadium.
The game continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, with the 2025 edition marking the 16th NHL Winter Classic® and the 42nd NHL regular-season outdoor game overall. A complete history of NHL regular-season outdoor games can be found here.
The 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic® will showcase a number of the top players in the NHL. The Blackhawks are led by rookie sensation Connor Bedard, forwards Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno, defenseman Seth Jones, and goaltender Peter Mrazek. The Blues counter with forwards Jordan Kyrou, 2024 NHL All-Star Robert Thomas and captain Brayden Schenn, defensemen Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk, and goaltender Jordan Binnington.
The Blackhawks and Blues have faced off in 330 regular-season games, with Chicago holding a 24-point edge over St. Louis (CHI: 155-129-46—356 points; STL: 140-138-52—332 points). Chicago and St. Louis have faced off 12 times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs®, with the Blackhawks winning eight of those series, but losing their most recent matchup in the First Round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven games.
About Wrigley Field:
Built in 1914, Wrigley Field is the second-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball and the oldest in the National League. The ballpark was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2020 by the U.S. Department of the Interior and is famous for its ivy-covered, brick outfield wall, hand-operated scoreboard, bleachers and iconic Marquee at Clark and Addison streets. The historic ballpark was named Wrigley Field in 1926 in honor of William Wrigley Jr., the club’s then owner and has been home to the Chicago Cubs since 1916. Wrigley Field and its surrounding area were recently upgraded through the 1060 Project, a $1 billion restoration and expansion initiative by the Ricketts family.
About the NHL:
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 32 Member Clubs. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 191 million followers – league, team and player accounts combined – across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com.
The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including ESPN, WBD Sports and NHL Network in the U.S.; Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada;
Viaplay in the Nordics, Baltics, Poland and the UK; MTV3 in Finland; Nova in Czech Republic and Slovakia; Sky Sports and ProSieben in Germany; MySports in Switzerland; and CCTV5+ in China; and reaches fans worldwide with games available to stream in every country. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. NHL Productions develops compelling original programming featuring unprecedented access to players, coaches and League and team personnel for distribution across the NHL’s social and digital platforms.
The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey to celebrate fans of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. The NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone® initiative reinforces that the official policy of the sport is one of inclusion on the ice, in locker rooms, boardrooms and stands. The NHL is expanding access and opportunity for people of all backgrounds and abilities to play hockey, fostering more inclusive environments and growing the game through a greater diversity of participants. To date, the NHL has invested more than $100 million in youth hockey and grassroots programs, with a commitment to invest an additional $5 million for diversity and inclusion programs over the next year.
