By Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus and Jeremy Rutherford
CHICAGO — The spectacle of an NHL rink wedged between the first- and third-base lines at Wrigley Field did not disappoint at Tuesday’s Winter Classic, a capacity crowd braving chilling rain and biting wind to take in the view, the fireworks and a brief Smashing Pumpkins concert. The Blackhawks arrived on the L train, leaving the Addison stop with their skates slung over their shoulders like kids marching out to the pond. The weather (mostly) cleared just in time, everything proceeded on schedule, and the NHL really couldn’t have asked for much more.
Then the puck dropped.
The environment was pristine, but the game was lopsided and choppy as the Blackhawks and Blues did what the Blackhawks and Blues do in the league’s signature regular-season event. St. Louis scored two early power-play goals and never looked back, cruising to a 6-2 victory. St. Louis is now 3-0 in the Winter Classic and Chicago is 0-5.
Here are some takeaways:
Cam Fowler, who was No. 12 overall pick by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010, played 991 games for the organization before being traded to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 14.
Fowler’s wife, Jasmine, pointed out that his 1,000th NHL game would be at the Winter Classic in Chicago.
“The whole day is going to be pretty surreal,” Fowler said Monday, on the eve of the outdoor game. “The game itself is going to be an incredible experience, and then when you mix in the personal accomplishments, it’s going to be a special day.”
Fowler didn’t know at the time how special.
On his second shift, the defenseman netted his first goal of the game on the power play for a 1-0 Blues lead.
Someone grabbed the puck and moments later the souvenir was in the possession of Blues athletic trainer Ray Barile.
The first goal of the #WinterClassic belongs to Mr. 1,000 Games himself – Cam Fowler. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/vuthUzIK3Y
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 31, 2024
Late in the second period, Fowler had his second of the game, cementing what will certainly be a career memory for a player who grew up about three hours away in Windsor, Ontario.
Petr Mrázek had been the main reason why the Blackhawks were in games for much of the first two months of the season. Game after game, he was keeping them competitive, just as he did last season.
But Mrázek hasn’t been near that goalie for all of December. In Mrázek’s six starts in the month, he allowed four or more goals in five games, and the other he left in the first period due to an injury. With the five goals he gave up Tuesday, he finished the month with 110 saves on 134 shots for an .821 save percentage.
Mrázek missed a few weeks in December due to a groin injury. Tuesday’s start was his third since he returned. The Blackhawks had been riding him in net more than expected due to Laurent Brossoit’s injury issues, but Mrázek didn’t think that workload contributed to his injury. Still, the Blackhawks are well aware Mrázek has a recent history of groin injuries and they probably need to be careful with him going forward. You would think that means more starts for Arvid Söderblom during the second half of the season, or at least until Brossoit is ready to return. Söderblom wasn’t much better in his last start, allowing five goals to the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
In any baseball stadium, the locker room accommodations aren’t perfect for a hockey team coming in for a couple days. But Wrigley Field proved to be extra challenging for the visiting Blues, and one player in particular.
To get from the rink area to the Blues’ locker room, the players walked on their skates through the dugout and up a significant number of stairs. They did this before the game, during intermissions and, of course, after the final horn.
Well, after the first period of Tuesday’s game, TNT cameras caught Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko taking one frightening step at a time as he made his way down the stairs and back to the ice.
Toropchenko’s cautious approach may have generated some chuckles from those who saw the video, but he can say that he safely finished the game without snapping any ankles.
Connor Bedard has been the face of the Winter Classic since it was first announced 11 months ago. He’s been interviewed from inside the famous center field scoreboard, he’s been taking batting practice with ex-Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, he’s been shooting tennis balls from the rooftops across the street, he’s been part of countless photo shoots and he was the center of attention during the last two days. And while Bedard doesn’t particularly love the added attention he gets, he certainly appreciated the opportunity the Blackhawks had at Wrigley Field.
“It’s an older building, and I find that stuff really cool, sports history,” he said. “It’s a great spot. I got to tour it a little bit and go around the room and stuff. … It’s fun we get to be here.”
Connor Bedard jerseys were everywhere inside and outside of Wrigley Field. (Scott Powers / The Athletic)
Bedard’s the entire reason the Blackhawks were picked to host this game. He’s already one of the biggest names in the sport and one of the most marketable faces in the league. Following Monday’s practice and family skate, Bedard said the Winter Classic already was “one of the coolest experiences of my life so far, and the game hasn’t even started yet.”
Once it did start, though, the Blackhawks’ 19-year-old wunderkind wasn’t much of a factor. Aside from a sharp-angle rebound chance shortly before Dylan Holloway gave the Blues a 4-1 lead in the second period, Bedard was mostly quiet. He finished with just a secondary assist on a late power-play goal by Tyler Bertuzzi.
The Blues’ Zack Bolduc certainly had the hit of the game as he sent Taylor Hall into the bench.
Zack Bolduc just hit Taylor Hall into next year. #WinterClassic #stlblues pic.twitter.com/qgF7Nu8Byu
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 31, 2024
Moments before the Blackhawks officially dropped the puck, the teams’ captains — Nick Foligno and Brayden Schenn — participated in a ceremonial puck drop.
Of course, they were all smiles for that photo, but they were not smiling late in the second period.
After Fowler gave the Blues a 5-1 lead, Foligno and Schenn squared off on the ensuing faceoff.
With the Blues in the driver’s seat, Schenn probably didn’t need to request the fight, and he may have been second-guessing himself after Foligno landed a couple of haymakers, but that’s hockey.
Hockey. #stlblues #blackhawks pic.twitter.com/NIOnLJDgqp
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) January 1, 2025
(Top photo: Daniel Bartel / Imagn Images)
