The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off two blowout losses and four consecutive losses. It’s not a pretty picture right now in Chicago. But the show must go on, and the NHL has the team scheduled to face their Central Division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, at iconic Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve. In some ways it’s just another game, but in other ways it’s a special event that should be savored, regardless of what the final score is at the end of the night. So what is the mindset for the players as they prepare for the big game? Here are some updates and quotes from practice today.
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Ice Conditions at Wrigley Field’s Temporary Rink
First and foremost, it’s quite the endeavor to set up a hockey rink at a baseball stadium. According to an NHL Public Relations media release, the world’s largest mobile rink refrigeration unit, built specially for outdoor games, is 53 feet in length. The refrigeration trailer that keeps the ice cool has a capacity of 300 tons, and 243 ice pans are set up under the rink, each measuring 30” x 340” in size.
So the most obvious question to ask the players after their practice on Dec. 30 was, how was the ice?!
The general consensus was that the ice was in great condition. The players all seemed impressed. But veteran Jason Dickinson, who played in the 2020 Winter Classic when he was with the Dallas Stars, acknowledged how that could easily change.
Everything feels a certain way out there right now and the boards are bouncing a certain way and the ice is a little bit slow or whatever. But it’s going to feel totally different tomorrow, and then the first period it’s going to feel totally different from the warmup, than the second period and the third. So that’s just kind of what happens with the weather. It is what it is.
Dickinson continued,
You might not be able to stick handle a lot of guys…you might have to just push the puck up the ice and make it super simple, and it might be ugly in the beginning until you start to get a real feel for how the ice and the game is flowing. Because every outdoor game is different.
It’s supposed to rain early on Tuesday before the game, and hopefully be finished by puck drop at 4 p.m. Central Time. Hopefully the ice will still be in decent condition for the players to navigate.
Blackhawks Cherishing the Moment of an Outdoor Game
It’s true that the Blackhawks’ record doesn’t fit the festive mood that should surround a Winter Classic. As mentioned above, they’ve dropped four consecutive games. The last two contests were extremely ugly, a 6-2 thrashing by the Buffalo Sabres and 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. But an outdoor game, which essentially goes way back to the roots of hockey, isn’t something to be taken for granted.
Dickinson admitted this event is coming at a disappointing point of the Blackhawks’ season. But that shouldn’t negate the fact that it’s something to be appreciated.
It’s a cool event and you gotta soak it in. It’s not something you’re going to experience every day. It’s something you gotta cherish and really enjoy it with the people around you and the family that gets to come in and experience it with you.
My favorite description of what it means to play outside came from captain Nick Foligno.
I remember that as a kid, when you first get out on the ice in the open air, it kinda does get your lungs a little bit. You’re like…(deep breath) it kinda sucks (the wind out), and then all of a sudden it’s like, let’s go! And then you feel like you could play forever. So by the end of practice, I was like, I want to stay out here for hours.
Foligno sounded so excited and looked a tad bit nostalgic when he indicated it was just like when he was a kid; it brought back those memories.
Blackhawks’ Lineup Updates
Finally, let’s get down to some of the nitty gritty about the game. Here are the lines and pairings from the outdoor practice at Wrigley Field.
#Blackhawks lineup ahead of Winter Classic:
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 30, 2024
Hall-Bedard-Bertuzzi
Foligno-Dickinson-Donato
Teravainen-Nazar-Mikheyev
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
Allan/Vlasic-Jones
Brodie-Kaiser
Martinez-Crevier
Mrazek
Söderblom
Extras: Anderson, Kurashev
*Murphy was on ice for team pic but he’s gone?
Notable updates from the last game include Dickinson and Frank Nazar switching places at center on the second and third lines. I’m guessing this might have something to do with Dickinson’s experience, as well as his ability to win more faceoffs. Craig Smith, who’s missed the last eight games with a back injury, will be back in the lineup in his usual spot on the fourth line. That leaves Philipp Kurashev and Joey Anderson as the healthy scratches at forward.
Head coach Anders Sorensen has been mixing things up a lot with the defensive pairings. But he did indicate Connor Murphy was simply taking a maintenance day and will play in the game. Alec Martinez participated in practice, but he’s still day-to-day with a neck injury. I’m thinking Martinez was just filling in for Murphy. It looks like Wyatt Kaiser, who was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs on Sunday, will play. It’s unclear whether Nolan Allan or Louis Crevier will be the scratch on defense.
Veteran goaltender Petr Mrazek will start in net.
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The stage is set and the Blackhawks (12-23-2) will meet the Blues (17-17-4) on New Year’s Eve. It will be a festive outdoor event no matter what, but can the Blackhawks make it even better for Chicago by pulling out a win? As Foligno said, “the way to enjoy this the most is if you win a hockey game…and if we come out of this on top it might springboard our team to get rolling here, and finding our way and getting confidence, and getting the city behind us.”
