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Uni Watch

Blackhawks and Blues Ring in the New Year with Winter Classic Uniforms

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In case you missed it, the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks played in yesterday evening’s “2025 Winter Classic,” the annual outdoor regular season National Hockey League game, which is a part of the Winter Classic series featuring teams wearing special uniforms (some have been throwbacks, others fauxbacks, and still others new alternates with a harkback feel). Yesterday’s game marked the first time two Winter Classics were held in the same calendar year, as the 2024 Winter Classic had been played on January 1, 2024.

This was a rematch of the 2017 NHL Winter Classic, when the Blues defeated the Blackhawks, 4−1, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. This was also Wrigley Field’s second time hosting an NHL outdoor game, having previously hosted the 2009 NHL Winter Classic. In yesterday’s game, the Blues defeated the Blackhawks by a score of 6-2.

I watched almost all of yesterday’s game — with all the special trappings inherent in a Winter Classic. Unlike previous outdoor games, weather wasn’t really a factor, there were no issues with sun angles or unplayable ice, and the game pretty much went off without a hitch. Those factors normally lead to an enjoyable watch; don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed yesterday’s game, but it also seems to me the novelty of the outdoor game is wearing off.

Let’s go over some of the highlights, both of the uni and non-uni-related variety.

Both teams wore their regular helmets, but those were, thankfully, ad-free (as were the uniforms, which we’ll get to momentarily). The Blues added a new “StL” logo (resembling the shape of a treble clef), in a 3-D gold color, to their buckets, which was quite nice.

The Blackhawks wore “Chicago” in red script on their buckets.

The bucolic Friendly Confines served as the backdrop for this game, and Wrigley Field was decked out for the occasion, complete with fireworks and a flyover before the game began.

As is often done at these outdoor WC games, the Blackhawks netkeeper Arvid Soderblom wore “throwback” brown gloves and blockers. The entire Blackhawks team also sported tan/brown gloves, giving off a throwback vibe.

St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington repped both the Cubs’ historic ballpark and his hometown Cardinals on his mask, which was painted with the iconic ivy of the Wrigley Field outfield walls as well as portraits of Cardinals legends Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright.

Both teams’ uniforms for this game looked fantastic. As noted, the Blackhawks wore “throwback” gloves with theirs, while the Blues wore royal blue gloves and helmets. Even though both teams have jersey ads, those were not present on the WC uniforms.

Beautiful! Here are a few more action shots:

Nice!

As is customary at these outdoor games, coaches wore special varsity jackets just for this game. (Also note the condensation on the glass — this appeared thoughout the game; I am pretty certain most fans were positioned enough above the height of the glass so as not to have obstructed views, although it may have been tough for folks at field level to get a clear view of the ice through the glass.)

After the game, players lined up for traditional post game handshakes.

Despite the loss by the “home” Blackhawks, post-game fireworks ensued.

You can see more photos here and here.

I generally loved both teams’ special uniforms, and I think both teams did a great job with them. One complaint — not so much my own, but one definitely shared by many — is the tendency to create off-white uniforms for the special event. I don’t mind them, especially when they attempt to create a “retro” feel, but I thought the Blues’ off-white unis looked fine.

The Blues produced a really nice video encapsulating the entirety of the event:

And, if you didn’t see the game (or even if you did), this video shows the highlights. You can see how both teams’ uniforms looked in action and on the ice.

Overall, a very pleasant viewing experience, but like I mentioned at the top, these outdoor games are beginning to lose some of their novelty and charm. I’d be fine if the NHL were to eliminate their “Stadium Series” games, and stick to just one outdoor Winter Classic. The uniforms are much better for the WC, whereas Stadium Series’ uniforms tend to be more “modern” looks, most of which don’t translate very well.

Readers? What did you think? Did you watch some (or any) of the game?

Love to have your impressions!

 
  
 
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Comments (14)

    That StL trebel clef logo is incredible. (1) It’s aesthetically pleasing, (2) it’s thematically on-brand, and (3) it creates a nice symmetry between the two biggest St. Louis teams- Cards and Blues.

    I’d love to see it used as a secondary logo and/or just stay on their helmets full time.

    Would be perfect to stay on helmet. There used to be a spot to have a small logo on the helmet which could be unique to the other team logos. Seems like we have lost that beauty with the helmet ads.

    I agree Michael. St Louis has some really nice brands with tradition. There isn’t a uniform I hate

    Agree completely. Keep it on the helmet and use it as a secondary logo from now on.

    Both unis are fantastic, as is usually the case with the WC. As usual, some elements of design or style could make the leap to the standard sets.

    It was a pleasing to the eyes kinda game which made it easier to watch. Blackhawks uni wasn’t much changed from their normal duds. I wouldn’t mind seeing that uniform in black though. Blues looked much better as I liked the huge blue swath across the front of the sweater and the unique numeral font. I understand them having these games at baseball parks due to a possible scheduling conflict with a local football team but the sightlines at Wrigley must have been terrible.

    I would love these unis so much more if they had actual white instead of vintage. Just messing around editing one of the pics, changing the white out, just makes it look so much better to me.

    I loved the way the colors popped on tv with Wrigley’s lighting as opposed to an indoor stadiums harsher lighting. Too bad my Hawks can’t seem to win these outdoor games…

    The game itself was not that interesting (the Blues were too strong) but it all looked very good on television: the uniforms, the graphics, the decorations. But I was wondering: the view from the stands must have been very limited. This works better in a football stadium environment, I think. The Blues video is very good indeed and I love the Winter Classic. Wish the NBA would do an outdoor game in the summer.

    This may be a ridiculous observation, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scoreboard give team names with “The” appended at the beginning, as we do on the small electronic Wrigley Field scoreboard with “The St. Louis Blues 6, The Chicago Blackhawks 2” as the players are shaking hands.

    Uniforms. For St. Louis, a nice alternate. For Chicago, probably the best uniform the team has ever worn.

    As for the event, I hear what Phil is saying. But even if these games are getting a bit staid from a league-wide pov, I think fans of the participating teams still value them.

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