Wrigley Snags Winter Classic

While Chicago is known as America's Second City, come New Year's Day 2009, it'll be #1 in the eyes of the NHL.

Why do I write that? According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the league is expected to announce that the next NHL Winter Classic will be awarded to Chicago, where the Blackhawks will host the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field.

The choice has to be seen as something of a darkhorse, as the early word on the 2009 game had it being played in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium between the Rangers and the Bruins or at Beaver Stadium in Pennsylvania between the Flyers and the Penguins. Word that all was not well with the plans to bring the game to Yankee Stadium surfaced just recently, after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned that there were a number of issues regarding construction at Yankee Stadium that might no be able to be overcome.

In any case, awarding the game to Chicago and the Blackhawks has to be seen as a nod to the fact that hockey is finally on the comeback trail in that city after what seemed like an inevitable slide into irrelevance. But now, thanks in part to co-Calder candidates Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, things are looking up in Chicago.

One thing is for certain about the 2009 game: Tickets are going to be far more dear. The capacity at Ralph Wilson Stadium, host of the inaugural Winter Classic, was just under 74,000. Wrigley, which was home to the Bears between 1921 and 1970, seats just over 41,000. I'm sure the folks at eBay are very excited at the prospect.