Blackhawks to host 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field against Blues in 2024 (& 2 NCAA doubleheaders)

[Kirk Van Houten]

Blackhawks to host 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field against Blues

The NHL’s biggest outdoor event will return to the Cubs’ stadium next season for the first time since 2009, a source told the Sun-Times on Tuesday.

chicago.suntimes.com

No ratings problem for the next Winter Classic lol.

Click to read more...

 

[LadyStanley]

Twitter with larger picture

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

We all saw this coming. They took a risk, they had their lowest ratings ever, nevermind that it went up against a major college game involving 'Bama. Playing it nice and safe this time. Bedard in the league now, done. Could've had something interesting like Ohio State, but no. I'm sure the ratings will improve enough for them to declare it a success, though.

 

[jkrdevil]

TNT just announced that the game will be played on New Year’s Eve rather than New Years Day. So clearing room for CFP.

 

[DaBadGuy7]

 

[GKJ]

So is it still the 2025 Winter Classic?

There’s still a CFP game, but it’s only the Fiesta Bowl. But they will surely be played at night and NYE isn’t a holiday.

 

[jkrdevil]

So is it still the 2025 Winter Classic?

There’s still a CFP game, but it’s only the Fiesta Bowl. But they will surely be played at night and NYE isn’t a holiday.

5 pm eastern start for Winter Classic. So it appears to be before the Fiesta Bowl which is probably an 8pm start.

 

[BMacLeafs]

Great job, NHL! Another Winter Classic involving the cellar-dwelling NHL team and loosing popularity so much that ur "signature event" is bumped off New Years Day.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Slight edit to the topic title to make it accurate but intentionally more confusing at first glance.

 

[Brodie]

I guess I don’t understand why if records don’t matter at all Detroit can’t host another one

 

[GKJ]

I guess I don’t understand why if records don’t matter at all Detroit can’t host another one

Detroit doesn’t have a Bedard.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I get why Chicago gets another one, but Wrigley again? Boring. Why not US Cellular? Or Soldier Field?

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I guess I don’t understand why if records don’t matter at all Detroit can’t host another one

Why can't they? Might even be coming, seeing as their 100th anniversary is soon and obviously the Hawks won't host that year and the Rangers cannot.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

I get why Chicago gets another one, but Wrigley again? Boring. Why not US Cellular? Or Soldier Field?

Soldier probably because the NFL season is still going. Don't know about Comiskey.

 

[Brodie]

No shade to Sox fans but why would anyone do anything in Guaranteed Rate when you could use Wrigley

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Comiskey doesn’t remotely have the cache as Wrigley.

Plus, literally everybody’s mad at Reinsdorf right now.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

No shade to Sox fans but why would anyone do anything in Guaranteed Rate when you could use Wrigley

Because Wrigley was done before.

 

[GKJ]

The White Sox don’t even like Comiskey

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Wrigley may also be easier to work with, since the league can deal with the Cubs directly. Guaranteed Rate Field is owned by the state.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Hosting college hockey games as well.

Jan 3 - Penn State vs Notre Dame and Ohio State vs Michigan (both men's)

Jan 4 - Ohio State vs Wisconsin (women's) and Wisconsin vs Michigan State (men's)

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/tickets/events/bigtenhockey?partnerId=redirect-chc-bigtenhockey

Too bad there isn't a Chicago PWHL franchise. That'd have been a fun way to promote the women's pro game, too.

 

[voyageur]

Hosting college hockey games as well.

Jan 3 - Penn State vs Notre Dame and Ohio State vs Michigan (both men's)

Jan 4 - Ohio State vs Wisconsin (women's) and Wisconsin vs Michigan State (men's)

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/tickets/events/bigtenhockey?partnerId=redirect-chc-bigtenhockey

Too bad there isn't a Chicago PWHL franchise. That'd have been a fun way to promote the women's pro game, too.

Why doesn't Illinois/Northwestern have a Big 10 college team? Seems like it would be easy enough to recruit players?

Out here in Canada, it seems absolutely ridiculous that Montreal has never had an outdoor game. Boston/Montreal, remember when they were rivals?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Why doesn't Illinois/Northwestern have a Big 10 college team? Seems like it would be easy enough to recruit players?

Simply put, money. Neither Illinois nor Northwestern have a viable arena on campus, and there isn't an appetite to play out of town for either party.

Illinois is oft-rumored, and the school has gone as far as (laughably) claim that they almost had plans for one lined up but Covid shelved them, but it seems like Illinois is stuck hoping for a unicorn megadonor to entirely foot the likely nine-figure cost to build a modern arena and fund a varsity team (or two for Title IX considerations) for a long haul rather than trying to run a capital project to get it done.

Illinois-Chicago had a varsity hockey team decades ago, but Circle shut them down without much fanfare due to cost overruns.

 

[JMCx4]

Why doesn't Illinois/Northwestern have a Big 10 college team? Seems like it would be easy enough to recruit players? ...

No Title IX impetus, no filthy rich donors itching to pay for new ice arenas just to have their names on the buildings. Simple as that.

ETA: Yeah, like he said. ^^^^^

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Hosting college hockey games as well.

Jan 3 - Penn State vs Notre Dame and Ohio State vs Michigan (both men's)

Jan 4 - Ohio State vs Wisconsin (women's) and Wisconsin vs Michigan State (men's)

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/tickets/events/bigtenhockey?partnerId=redirect-chc-bigtenhockey

Too bad there isn't a Chicago PWHL franchise. That'd have been a fun way to promote the women's pro game, too.

Zero chance they would've gotten a game.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Zero chance they would've gotten a game.

More than zero chance - the NHL loves these tie-ins, it makes for a good story, and the rink's already built.