Blues Shine Bright: A Spectacular Triumph Over the Blackhawks at the Winter Classic

CHICAGO (AP) — St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery strolls around prior to Tuesday night’s Winter Classic. He gazes at the expanding audience enjoying the celebratory environment. He reflects on all the renowned athletes who played at Wrigley Field.

“And here we are getting to participate in an NHL hockey match,” Montgomery expressed. “It’s just really awesome.”

The Winter Classic made its return to Wrigley on the last day of 2024, and the Chicago Blackhawks hosted quite a gala. Fireworks illuminated the night sky at the home of baseball’s Chicago Cubs. The Smashing Pumpkins and Chance the Rapper entertained the crowd, and actors Bill Murray and Jon Hamm received a huge cheer when displayed on a videoboard during the third period.

It was a quintessential Chicago celebration, and St. Louis had the time of their lives. The Blues cruised to a 6-2 triumph over the Blackhawks in front of a gathering of 40,933, enhancing their record to 3-0 in the Winter Classic.

“This was a remarkable experience for both the fans and us,” St. Louis captain Brayden Schenn remarked. “Having family and friends present to witness something like that at Wrigley Field, an incredible thing, and then winning on top of it.”

Just a few weeks after his acquisition by St. Louis in a trade with Anaheim, Cam Fowler marked his 1,000th NHL game by scoring two goals. The 33-year-old defenseman became the first player in NHL history to compete outdoors for his 1,000th match.

The evening — the convergence of events that led Fowler to that occasion after spending his entire career with the Ducks — was “quite surreal,” he conveyed.

“Going through a whirlwind of emotions over the past few weeks adjusting to a new team,” he noted. “But I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, sharing it with my family. … It was a fantastic night for all of us.”

Not the case for the struggling Blackhawks. The atmosphere in the home locker room was starkly different, as Chicago sought solutions after its fifth straight defeat.

Encouraged by a lively crowd, the Blackhawks got off to a sluggish start while the Blues pulled away with three scores in the second period. There were loud chants of “Let’s go Blues!” in the waning moments of the game.

“You know, those tickets aren’t inexpensive for them to come and cheer us on,” Chicago forward Connor Bedard stated. “We are definitely disappointed in ourselves in our locker room. But I feel for our fan base who came out for this, and we kind of laid an egg.”

The day began with Bedard and the Blackhawks — equipped with their sticks and skates and dressed in custom “Team Chicago” attire — using one of the city’s famous elevated trains to head to Wrigley.

The team’s pre-game clothing was designed to emphasize the bond between the franchise and the city. The outfits featured patches honoring Chicago’s first responders, and each player selected a charitable or community organization for their hat.

“It’s a great initiative to unify our community, right?” captain Nick Foligno remarked. “One of the significant topics we discussed was our first responders, too, and their importance to our community and what they do for us. We aimed to highlight that and showcase what is meaningful to us.”

St. Louis wore gray sweatshirts and hats for their bus ride to the ballpark. The hats bore the number 99 on the front, while the shirts featured a round logo with 99 and GRETZKY’S BASEMENT — a tribute to the hockey school associated with Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.

“We thought it would be a wonderful chance to honor Wayne and all he’s accomplished for the game,” Blues defenseman Justin Faulk stated. “He’s clearly a vital part of St. Louis as well. He has contributed significantly to the community there and continues to do so, and he’s been great to everyone in the organization and to the players. We believed there’s no better way to express our gratitude than to do this today in his honor.”

The Blues occupied the visitors’ locker room at Wrigley, which required them to manage a lengthy staircase during their travels to and from the ice. As they typically do when playing outdoors, they made the best of the situation.

“Just had to take your time,” goaltender Jordan Binnington said with a smile. “It actually helped me concentrate for the game. Just one step at a time. We talk about that often, and I was making sure to take it one step at a time because I didn’t want to fall.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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