Blackhawks To Host Game At Soldier Field Next Season
By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 17, 2013 1:30PM
This year's NHL Winter Classic was canceled thanks to the league's lockout but the novelty of playing hockey outdoors has proven popular with fans, players and team owners. Which is why the league is close to finalizing a plan to host a series of outdoor games next season, including a match-up between the Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins — the teams with the two best records in the league this season — March 1, 2014 at Soldier Field.
Sources confirmed the plan to ESPN.com. Other games include the Winter Classic Jan. 1, 2014 between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs in Michigan Stadium, two games in New York at Yankee Stadium during the week before the Super Bowl, a Jan. 25 game between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium, and a contest between the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks March 2, 2014.
The Blackhawks and Red Wings kicked off the Winter Classic series with a 6-4 Detroit win at Wrigley Field in 2009. The Blackhawks skated with disabled veterans at Soldier Field in February, which brought back memories of the Winter Classic for the members of the team still around from that game. Coach Joel Quenneville said it was "the coolest experience in my hockey career, playing or coaching," while Patrick Sharp said he could imagine the energy of playing a hockey game in front of thousands of fans on the lakefront.
There is the fear that multiple games would dilute the special feel of outdoor hockey. (We also would love to see the NHL pull off an outdoor hockey game in Southern California.) But both the players and owners are on board.