NHL Wants To Put Connor Bedard On A Big Stage ASAP, Will Reportedly Hold 2025 Winter Classic At Wrigley Field

The NHL will hold the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Blackhawks playing host to the St. Louis Blues, according to a report from The Chicago Sun-Times.

There hasn't been an official announcement from the league yet, but this would be Wrigley Field's second time hosting the NHL's marquee regular season event. It hosted for the first time in 2009 when the Blackhawks faced the Detroit Red Wings. This would also be the second time the Blackhawks and Blues will face each other, with the first time coming in 2017 when the game was held at St. Louis' Busch Stadium. This would make it the first repeat matchup in Winter Classic history.

Unlike the last Winter Classic which pitted the NHL's two newest teams, this one features teams with a rivalry that goes back decades. However, the Blackhawks are not competitive right now. Like at all. This is a far cry from the team that won three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015. 

So, then why would they want to put such a lousy team on one of the league's biggest stages?

Well, two words, and I think you know what they are: Connor. Bedard.

If you consider that, it makes a lot of sense.

Having a generational talent like Connor Bedard play in the Winter Classic — even if he's on a wildly uncompetitive team — would be a smart move by the NHL. (Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

NHL Would Smart To Capitalize On Bedard's Star Power After Horrendous TV Ratings In 2024

This year's Winter Classic at Seattle's T-Mobile Park which pitted the Seattle Kraken against the Vegas Golden Knights. While it was a cool event and a decent game, the ratings were a disaster for the NHL.

Sure, there were plenty of reasons for it. The game was on cable, it was played on the West Coast which meant a later start time, and because it was New Year’s Day, the later start put it in direct competition with the Rose Bowl.

Yes, the Winter Classic was up against one of the most highly-anticipated College Football Playoff matchups in years, and of course, it lost. Bad.

It was the least-watched Winter Classic ever, and while all those factors were working against it, the league didn't do itself any favors with a matchup fairly devoid of intrigue or star power.

Yeah, you had Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, but there's not much of a rivalry between the Kraken and Golden Knights. It's just that they entered the league around the same time.

So, in 2025, the league will capitalize on a historic rivalry, while also making one of the biggest young stars in the game headline.

I think that's smart. I just hope that Bedard — who has missed a big chunk of his rookie campaign thanks to a jaw injury - stays healthy enough to play in it.

What will be interesting is to see when the NHL decides to hold the game. I get the allure of having the Winter Classic on New Year's Day, but that's a spot on the calendar occupied by football. Even if none of the matchups are as intriguing as this year's Rose Bowl between Michigan and Alabama was, it is still a losing battle for the NHL.

If they're smart, they'll hold the game on January 2, when nothing else is going on. 

That, coupled with a historic rivalry and a marquee player, should give Winter Classic ratings a much-needed kick in the pants.