The ball was dropped on the NHL's experiment to stage the Winter Classic on New Year's Eve. Tuesday's game between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks in the open air at Wrigley Field garnered the worst viewership ratings in the 17-year history of the annual event,

The Winter Classic has been a long-standing tradition in hockey, but the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field will be the first time the game is set to be played on New Year’s Eve.

The Blues notched a win at this season's NHL Winter Classic, but the annual outdoor game didn’t deliver a victory in viewership.

Only 920,000 viewers watched the Hawks' blowout loss on Tuesday on TNT and TruTV, according to Sports Media Watch.

For the first time, the NHL's annual winter classic will be played on New Year's Eve. But the matchup is familar, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the St. Louis Blues.

This season, the NHL and its new broadcast partner TNT hope to breathe new life into the annual Winter Classic by scheduling Blackhawks-Blues at Wrigley Field on New Year's Eve.

NHL Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks is December 31, 2024 at 5 PM EST at Wrigley Field.

Classic 2025 features two NHL central division rivals battling for ice cold glory on Tuesday, Dec. 31. The outdoor hockey game has the St. Louis Blues (17-17-4) taking on the Chicago Blackhawks (12-23-2) at Wrigley Field in Chicago,

Will Bundesliga stadiums host the NHL Winter Classic in the future? A report by Sportsnet suggests that it might be possible.

This year's NHL Winter Classic was an absolute dud, recycling two teams (the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues) that have already played in multiple outdoor games in a venue (Wrigley Field) that has already been used.

The New Year’s Eve matchup drew fewer than one million viewers. The post NHL Shouldn’t Panic About Worst-Ever Winter Classic Ratings appeared first on Front Office Sports.