The Chicago Blackhawks will play the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at Busch Stadium, the NHL announced Wednesday.
Busch Stadium’s 48,861 capacity is the ninth largest in the MLB and will be the second largest to host an outdoor game to Colorado’s Coors Field, which hosted a 2016 Stadium Series game.
It will be the Hawks’ league-leading fifth outdoor game and fourth in as many years. It will be the Blues’ first outdoor game. Nineteen teams have yet to play in a Winter Classic, and eight teams have never played in an outdoor game.
While fans and players may enjoy the outdoor games, they haven’t been kind to the Hawks. They’ve posted a 1-3 record in them with their lone win a 5-1 rout of Pittsburgh at snowy Soldier Field in 2014.
The Hawks lost 6-4 to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, fell 3-2 to the Washington Capitals in the 2015 Winter Classic at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and lost 6-1 to he Minnesota Wild in the 2016 Stadium Series on Feb. 21 at TCF Bank Stadium.
St. Louis will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a member of the NHL’s first expansion in 1967, while the Los Angeles Kings, another 1967 expansion team, will host the 2017 All-Star Game.
You’re going to love the outdoor games in 2017! pic.twitter.com/i07X16IjPw
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) March 10, 2016
The Winnipeg Jets are also slated to host the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 Heritage Classic on Oct. 23 at Investors Group Field.