New York (AFP) - The iconic 110-year-old Wrigley Field baseball stadium will host the 2025 NHL Winter Classic outdoor game between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, the league announced on Wednesday.
Wrigley Field is the home of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs and previously hosted the 2009 edition of the NHL New Year's Day classic, when more than 40,000 people saw Detroit beat Chicago 6-4.
"We're all pretty pumped," said Blackhawks rookie star Connor Bedard, the 18-year-old center and 2023 NHL Draft top pick who has 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games for Chicago this season.
The game is a rematch of the 2017 Winter Classic in St. Louis, where the host Blues beat Chicago 4-1.
The Blackhawks, who missed the playoffs the past three campaigns, have the NHL's worst record this season with 14 wins, 34 losses and two overtime defeats.
The Blues, 26-21-2, hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
It will mark the NHL-high seventh outdoor contest for the Blackhawks and their first since a 4-2 loss to Boston at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, in 2019.
The Blackhawks are 1-5 in outdoor contests while the Blues are 2-0 in such games, including their home win over Chicago and a 6-4 victory at Minnesota in 2022.
The matchup is scheduled to be the 42nd regular-season outdoor game staged in NHL history and the 16th Winter Classic since the inaugural edition at Buffalo in 2008.
The host Seattle Kraken defeated the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 last month in this year's Winter Classic.
In all, 29 of 32 NHL teams have played in a regular-season outdoor game, with only the Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers not seeing action beyond arenas.
