(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — There was plenty of fanfare leading up to the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve where the Chicago Blackhawks took on the St. Louis Blues.
The Winter Classic returned to Wrigley on the final day of 2024, and the Chicago Blackhawks threw quite a party. Fireworks streaked through the night sky at the home of baseball's Chicago Cubs. The Smashing Pumpkins and Chance the Rapper performed, and actors Bill Murray and Jon Hamm got a big ovation when they were shown on a videoboard during the third period.
It was a very Chicago party, and St. Louis had all the fun. The Blues rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Blackhawks in front of a crowd of 40,933, improving to 3-0 in the Winter Classic.
The loss now moves the Blackhawks losing streak to five in a row.
“Dog walk” was the term that Connor Bedard used to describe how badly the Blues beat the Blackhawks in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.
“I'm shocked at how we played. It's just really disappointing, you know, our fans, they've been through a lot this year and they came and supported us so much today,” Taylor Hall said after the game.
“They really felt the energy for the game. For us to lay an egg like that, I'm just really sad for the people that support us and for us in here it's, it's got to be a huge wake-up call.”
Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi had the two goals in that one for the Hawks.
Backed by the majority of a raucous crowd, the Blackhawks got off to a slow start and the Blues pulled away with three goals in the second period. There were loud chants of “Let's go Blues!” in the final seconds of the game.
“You know, those tickets aren’t cheap for them to come and support us,” Chicago forward Connor Bedard said. “We, obviously, in our room are disappointed with ourselves. But I feel bad for our fan base coming out to this and we kind of lay an egg.”
The day began with Bedard and the Blackhawks — carrying their sticks and skates and dressed in custom “Team Chicago” gear — using one of the city's famed elevated trains to travel to Wrigley.
The team's pregame apparel was designed to highlight the connection between the franchise and the city. The clothes had patches paying tribute to Chicago’s first responders, and each player picked a charitable or community-based organization for their hat.
“It’s a neat thing to bring our community together, right?” captain Nick Foligno said. “And one of the big things we talked about was our first responders, too, and what they mean to our community and what they do for us. And we wanted to kind of highlight that and also highlight what means a lot to us.”
Just a couple weeks after he was acquired by St. Louis in a trade with Anaheim, Cam Fowler celebrated his 1,000th NHL game with two goals. The 33-year-old defenseman became the first player in NHL history to skate outdoors for his 1,000th game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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