Leave it to the environs of a 110-year-old ballpark to inspire professional hockey players to wax nostalgic about childhood memories of pond hockey.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno said the Winter Classic, Tuesday’s outdoor game between the Hawks and St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field, has the power to bring fans back to the “grassroots of hockey.”
“Any player who’s played hockey has had one instance (of) being at an outdoor rink — that’s where you learn to love the game and it’s hockey in its purest form,” Foligno said after Hawks practice Monday when he and his teammates tested the ice on the rink situated between first and third base. “You’re usually out there playing pickup, you’re out there playing with friends.
“It’s unorganized but it’s beautiful. That’s what it felt like out there today.”
For Alex Vlasic, a Wilmette native who grew up as a Cubs fan, the experience was emotional.
“It was pretty surreal,” he said. “You don’t really realize what it’s like until you get out of that dugout and you start walking toward the ice. Just taking those first couple of strides, it was really special today.”
Vlasic family is living vicariously through him.
“My sister is a huge Kris Bryant fan,” said Vlasic, who got a tour of the clubhouse with former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster earlier this month. “I was able to get her a bat for Christmas, Kris Bryant’s bat from when he was here. He gave it to me.
“But it’s cool to just be here and soak it all up and I’m sure my sister’s so fired up for me as well.”
Connor Bedard took in what will likely be the first of many unique hockey experiences for him.
“It was cool,” the 19-year-old Hawks forward said after practice. “My first experience doing something like that. It was obviously a beautiful venue and they set it up great, so it was fun.”
Bedard also shared the ice with relatives during the post-practice family skate.
“My parents and sister were (there),” he said. “It’s their first time skating in a while, so it’s funny to watch.
“My mom was struggling a little bit out there. She’s got an ugly stride. But they had a good time. It’s fun that our family gets to be a part of it.”
But one thing could make Tuesday’s game perfect: snow.
“Snow would be awesome, that’s the ultimate,” Seth Jones said. “Remember (Sidney) Crosby’s shootout winner against Buffalo, it’s just pouring down snow.”
Even Hawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen was on board.
“I think it’d be really cool if it was snowing,” he said. “That’s just an experience to be part of.”
Sorensen has had a whirlwind month.
He went from coaching the Rockford IceHogs to leading the Hawks after Luke Richardson was fired on Dec. 5.
Sorensen became the first Swedish head coach to win an NHL game, then had a three-game winning streak followed by a four-game losing streak, and now he is coaching in a Winter Classic.
You know, standard stuff.
“It was kind of surreal being down there today. It was neat. It was definitely a cool moment, a cool experience to be part of.
“And, yeah, something to remember for a long time.”
Perhaps a visit to the Friendly Confines on New Year’s Eve — the nickname for Wrigley Field — is just what the Hawks need right now.
After the aforementioned four straight losses, regular hockey venues (including three on the road) have proven to be hostile work environments.
“Maybe something different. Switch it up,” Seth Jones said after a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars at the United Center on Sunday. “I know a lot of guys have families and friends in town now.
“It’s going to be a hectic couple of days. But once we hit the ice for the game, business starts.”
Hectic, all right, and not just for the players.
Construction crews worked around the weekend’s rainy weather to complete the makeover but there’s still work to be done. Camera positions need to be adjusted and rehearsals still have to be staged.
Long after the players cleared out Monday, Chance the Rapper tested the mic in a nighttime rehearsal.
But come puck drop, this battle between the Hawks and St. Louis Blues represents the Winter Classic’s first rematch.
On Jan. 2, 2017, the Blues defeated the Hawks 4-1 in front of 46,556 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
This season’s bow on New Year’s Eve marks the Hawks’ seventh appearance in an outdoor game (fifth Winter Classic), where they don’t exactly boast the best record: 1-5-0 (.167).
They’ve been outscored 24-15 in those games.
Here are the Hawks’ previous results in outdoor games:
- Jan. 1, 2019, Winter Classic: 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.)
- Jan. 2, 2017, Winter Classic: 4-1 loss to the Blues, (Busch Stadium, St. Louis)
- Feb. 21, 2016, Stadium Series: 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild (TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
- Jan. 1, 2015, Winter Classic: 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals (Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.)
- March 1, 2014, Stadium Series: 5-1 win vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins (Soldier Field)
- Jan. 1, 2009, Winter Classic: 6-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings (Wrigley Field)
The current Hawks have a chance to avenge the 2017 loss against the Blues and become just the second Hawks team to win an outdoor game.
That would go a long way as a salve for a rocky start to the 2024-25 campaign which included early struggles for young star Connor Bedard and the firing of coach Luke Richardson earlier this month.
“It’s going to be exciting for sure,” Teuvo Teräväinen said. “We need to start to focus on that, try to find some fun. There’s going to be a lot of families in town and stuff, so it could be a great turning point for us and be great for that game and start something good.”
Here’s a primer for the Winter Classic.
TV schedule
2:30 p.m.: “Road to the NHL Winter Classic” (TNT, truTV, Max)
3 p.m.: “NHL on TNT Faceoff” (TNT, truTV, Max)
Pregame: Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonnette and Anson Carter join host Liam McHugh from “Barnburner,” a hockey-themed fan experience around Wrigley Field headlined by country singer Jon Pardi.
The Smashing Pumpkins, featuring original members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha, will kickstart the festivities.
The opening ceremony concludes with a flyover featuring four Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing (104th Fighter Squadron).
4 p.m.: Winter Classic: Hawks vs. Blues (TNT, Max)
National anthem: Jim Cornelison, accompanied by organist Carrie Marcotte
Ceremonial puck drop: Hockey Hall of Famers and Hawks alumni Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick and Denis Savard do the honors.
Game broadcast: Play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert, color analyst Eddie Olczyk and between-the-benches reporter Brian Boucher make up the team.
They’ll broadcast from ice level instead of the grandstand booth used by baseball game-callers.
Olczyk has the most experience: This will be his 14th Winter Classic and 26th outdoor game.
Additional reporting: Darren Pang, in his ninth Winter Classic, and Jackie Redmond.
Datacast: Play-by-play announcer John Forslund will be joined by commentators Colby Armstrong and Mike Kelly for this analytics-based simulcast, using real-time statistics from NHL Edge, on Max and truTV.
First intermission: Chance the Rapper performs.
Second intermission: Chicago-based DJ Oreo turns the field into a New Year’s Eve dance party; NHL honors members of the Hawks’ and Blues’ first and second Quarter-Century Teams.
Special guests: The NHL expects former Hawks Chelios, Roenick, Savard, Brian Campbell and Jocelyn Thibault; former Blues Al MacInnis, David Backes, Brian Elliott; current Chicago Cubs Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch (who both watched Hawks practice Monday); former Bull Derrick Rose; plus actor and Blues fan Jon Hamm.
Time TBD: “NHL on TNT Postgame Show” (TNT, truTV, Max)
Postgame: Gretzky, Bissonnette, Carter and McHugh will handle postgame highlights and analysis.
Free fan festival
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: It will take place a block north of Wrigley in the Camry Lot on Grace Street and will feature interactive games, a Stanley Cup photo shoot and a range of dining options: three food trucks, hot dog grill stations, a draft beer trailer and a large outdoor bar.
Tickets
According to NHL officials, more than 40,000 tickets had been sold as of Monday. Prices start at $125. Ticketmaster showed prices (including resales) ranging from $150 to $5,000 on Monday night.
Food
The menu inside the park will feature several specialty concessions to mark the occasion, including the beer hockey stick.
The Hawks admittedly took inspiration from the Cubs’ “beer bat” when they added the hockey-stick-shaped cup to their offerings this season, so its appearance at Wrigley will be a full-circle moment.
The 24-ounce cup will be available at most concourse bar locations.
Here are some other items:
- Chicago-style poutine: Hand-cut fries topped with Italian beef, gravy, cheese curds, giardiniera and sweet peppers
- Short rib poutine: What’s with all the poutine? It’s not like the Hawks are playing the Montreal Canadiens.
- Chicken queso nachos: Served in a Winter Classic hockey helmet bowl at Left Field Classics in Section 105.
- Collectible hot chocolate tumblers: A Winter Classic souvenir, as are the soda cups. Actually, better make that “pop.”
- Maxwell Street Polish: If you’re a true Chicagoan, you already know. Sold at Vienna Grill in Section 131 and the Maxwell Grill portable cart near Section 121.
New Year’s Eve party
A New Year’s Eve party takes place in right field and lasts throughout the game. After the game, NHL officials encourage partiers to spill out into Gallagher Way and the surrounding Wrigleyville bars.
Building the ice
The custom-built 53-foot, 300-ton-capacity mobile refrigeration unit makes the ice, removes heat from its surface and stabilizes its temperature, ideally 22 degrees.
The unit pumps up to 3,000 gallons of glycol coolant into aluminum trays in the rink through a series of hoses.
Then comes a really important aspect: ice thickness.
Winter Classic at Wrigley Field will include big-name Chicago entertainers — and a free fan festival
Typically in an indoor arena, the ice is approximately 1 to 1.25 inches thick. However, an outdoor rink needs to be up to 2 inches thick to hold up against the elements. A mix of rain and snow is forecast for game day.
Crews use the same water as the kind that comes out of your faucet, but the process of building the ice is really slow.
Workers use a wand to spray the ice hundreds of times to ensure an even thickness, and each inch requires 10,000 gallons of water.
To give the ice surface that glowing white appearance, workers use about 350 gallons of water-soluble paint. Lines and logos are painted on the surface and capped with more layers of ice.
A temperature-monitoring system called Eye on the Ice is embedded in the surface. It signals whether to pump more glycol coolant if it gets too warm or activate an in-line heating system if it gets too cold.
Playing on the ice
After practice, several Hawks said they had no issues with the ice.
“I’ve been impressed with how well they maintain the ice,” Taylor Hall said. “And with all the rain that we’ve had, it was the ice was really good. It was hard. It was fast.”
Frank Nazar agreed. “It felt pretty good today, I didn’t really notice too much about it.”
He and other players mentioned that the snow players kick up from stopping and turning was noticeable.
“The snow definitely builds up pretty easily over time,” Nazar said. “But I think around the game time though they’ll have that cleaned up, so I’m not too worried.”
There are other considerations out there in the elements — like how to breathe.
Foligno, who played with the Boston Bruins in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2023, said, “I remember that as a kid, when you first get out on the ice with open air, it kind of does get your lungs a little bit. Then all of a sudden it ‘let’s go’ and you feel like you can play forever.
“So by the end of the time on the practice, I was like, ‘I want to stay out here for hours.’”
Hall, Foligno’s Bruins teammate at the ’23 Classic, added that on Monday, “the lighting changed throughout the course of our (Hawks) practice, which is interesting. The sun kind of went down a bit, so I’m interested to see how it changes throughout the game tomorrow.
“I remember from our game in Boston that it started pretty light out, and by the end of the game, it was completely dark, and the visibility on the ice was actually better when it was dark out with the lights, instead of it being overcast and still sun out.
“It’s a different hockey game than a normal regular season game, but that’s the beauty of it.”
Trivia
Last season’s Winter Classic took place on Jan. 1, 2024, in Seattle and with this season’s on Dec. 31, this will mark the first time in NHL history the calendar year begins and ends with an outdoor game.
Former Hawk Jonathan Toews is tied with former Detroit Red Wing Henrik Zetterberg for the most career points in outdoor games with seven. The Blues’ Jordan Kyrou (tied for four) could be knocking on the door with this game. This will be just the second outdoor game for Kyrou, whereas Toews has played in six.
Besides the Hawks, the Chicago Bears (NFL), Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinals, NFL) and Chicago Red Stars (NWSL) have played home games at Wrigley Field. Wrigley has hosted a number of Northwestern University teams, including baseball in 2013, women’s lacrosse in 2014 and several football games, including the Wildcats’ final two home games this season.
Wrigley becomes the seventh venue to host a second NHL outdoor game. The others are: Boston’s Fenway Park, New York’s Yankee Stadium, Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. and Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Nevada.
Design
The field design includes an ivy graphic in front of where home plate would normally be, as well as frozen waterways, park sidewalks and bridges around the rink.
Artificial ivy is attached to the outfield wall and rink.
The design is a collaboration between NHL CSD, Analog Heart and Elevate.
