Bedard, Blackhawks to Host Blues at Cubs' Wrigley Field for 2025 NHL Winter Classic

Wrigley Field has hosted plenty of Chicago-St. Louis rivalry matchups during baseball season.

But the Cubs and Cardinals won't be the only city rivals playing at the iconic venue in 2025.

The NHL announced Wednesday the Chicago Blackhawks will host the St. Louis Blues in the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

As Greg Wyshynski of ESPN noted, this will be the second time the Winter Classic takes place at Wrigley Field. The first one was in 2009 and pitted the Blackhawks against the Detroit Red Wings.

This also marks another return to one of baseball's most storied venues for the Winter Classic, as the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park hosted the event in 2010 and 2023.

Chicago is no stranger to the national spotlight of outdoor games.

The 2025 game will be its fourth Winter Classic and seventh time participating in an outdoor game, which is more than any other NHL team. That the Blackhawks were chosen again comes as no surprise given their history and the presence of 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, who is expected to be the one who anchors their current rebuilding plans for years to come.

St. Louis last played in the Winter Classic in 2022 against the Minnesota Wild at Target Field.

"My last outdoor-game memory was playing outdoor hockey when I was a kid, so it's an exciting opportunity," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Despite playing a number of outdoor games, the Blackhawks haven't enjoyed much success.

Pope pointed out their only win came against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field in 2014. They lost to the Blues when they faced each other in St. Louis' Busch Stadium in 2017 and most recently lost to the Boston Bruins in 2019 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Another loss wouldn't be shocking, as Chicago is in last place in the Central Division at 14-34-2 for 30 points. St. Louis, by comparison, is in the playoff race in fourth place at 26-21-2 for 54 points.