© Getty Images

CHICAGO — The NHL put on a great show the first time the Winter Classic was at Wrigley Field, the iconic home of baseball’s Chicago Cubs, in 2009.

The game there this season should be that much bigger and better.

“We’ve grown so much. We do things so much differently. We’re big now,” NHL senior executive vice president and chief content officer Steve Mayer said Thursday while discussing the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks playing at the legendary stadium in the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Dec. 31 (5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

“We do things differently and everything is just at another level. So, we’re super excited.”

The Blackhawks are hosting their second Winter Classic at Wrigley after playing the Detroit Red Wings there on Jan. 1, 2009, a 6-4 win for Detroit. This will mark the second time the NHL has held the Winter Classic more than once in the same park; the 2010 and 2023 editions were played at Fenway Park in Boston.

This also will be the first Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve.

Mayer, NHL executive vice president of events Dean Matsuzaki and chief brand officer Brian Jennings were here to discuss news regarding this year’s event.

© Getty Images

Chicago natives highlight the entertainment front. It was announced Thursday that The Smashing Pumpkins will play during pregame festivities and will also be part of the opening introductions of players. Chance The Rapper, who also is from Chicago, will perform during the first intermission.

The League also revealed an illustrated preview of Wrigley’s transformation for the Winter Classic. The NHL, in collaboration with Seattle-based Analog Heart, took inspiration from Chicago’s architecture, rivers and parks, as well as Wrigley’s famed brick and ivy.

“There are so many factors when it comes to how we do the field design, but one of the things we immediately said is, ‘All right, how are we replicating the ivy?’ Because it dies on the wall,” Mayer said. “So, we’ll have an ivy wall in center field, there’ll be ivy around the rinks around, and then there’s graphic nods to it all over. We looked at the rivers and the bridges as being such an iconic piece and they will actually be activated, so there’ll be movement on both of those areas, which I think will be unique and a bit different.

“Colors were important. We really leaned into the marquee red (on the Wrigley Field sign) and you’ll see it’ll feel very uniquely Blackhawks/marquee red. The field design is always a big factor because you want people to walk into the door and say, ‘Wow,’ and usually they do. So, that was part of how we looked at creating this environment, in particular.”

Mayer said there also will be an auxiliary rink in left field and a New Year’s Eve party in right field.

“This is the first of our Winter Classics to be played on New Year’s Eve, so we’re really leaning into that New Year’s Eve party atmosphere,” Mayer said. “There’ll be people on the field, people in the party area and we’re going to celebrate some of the New Year’s celebrations from around the world as they take place throughout the day. We’ll celebrate out there and it’ll be a big part of the TV coverage.”

Matsuzaki said the League will utilize all the changes that have occurred in and around Wrigley since the 2009 game.

“There are definitely a lot more hospitality spaces involved, warmer areas,” he said. “It’s easier to move about the building and it’s a lot more winterized now. We had heaters going in the washrooms all December last time we were here to keep pipes from freezing.

“Having Gallagher Way (an open-air green space adjacent to Wrigley) outside to be able to activate, we’ll use as perimeter, and our partners at TNT will have a pregame event out there for fans to come down early to enjoy.”

© Getty Images

Matsuzaki said the ice plant will arrive at Wrigley on Dec. 16, when the build-out on the field begins. Crews will begin building the ice on Dec. 21. After taking a break on Christmas Eve and Christmas, crews will get back to work getting lines and logos painted. Each team is scheduled to practice on the Wrigley ice on Dec. 30.

The storied venue will add to its rich history the next day with the Winter Classic.

“It’s amazing how much this area has changed and transformed since we first did it,” Jennings said. “It’s exciting, it’s a hockey city and what Steve and Dean lay out and what their talented teams do is really make this a celebration of hockey, taking the game back to the great outdoors.

“It’s wrapped in nostalgia, it’s wrapped in retro, all the things that make our game special, and to be celebrated on New Year’s Eve.”