Countdown to NHL Winter Classic begins

NEW YORK --With just one month until the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, the countdown to the much-anticipated rivalry game between the St. Louis Blues® and Chicago Blackhawks® on Monday, Jan. 2 at Busch Stadium has begun. The event will be broadcast live nationally on NBC in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada at Noon CT.
When these Central Division rivals meet, it will mark the first time the Blues will host the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® and the first-ever regular-season outdoor game for the Club. On Jan. 2, the Blues will become the 23rd NHL® franchise to play in an outdoor game. It also will mark the third time the Blackhawks have participated in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® (2009 vs. DET, 2015 at WSH) and the fifth time the Club has participated in a regular-season outdoor game (2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ vs. PIT, 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ at MIN).

The Blackhawks (16-6-3) and Blues (14-7-3) sit atop the Western Conference with 35 points and 31 points, respectively. They have competed in the same division in every season since 1970-71, tied with the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres for the longest active streak in the NHL. The longtime rivals have met 12 times in the Stanley Cup® Playoffs, facing off at least once in each of the past five decades, including a seven-game series won by St. Louis during the First Round of the 2016 Stanley Cup® Playoffs. The Blues and Blackhawks have exchanged wins in two matchups this season and will play in St. Louis on Dec. 17, their last meeting before the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®.
Events and activities leading up to the annual hockey celebration include:

The Rink Build at Busch Stadium

The 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® Ice Plant -- the custom-built 53-foot, 300-ton capacity truck that houses the world's largest mobile rink refrigeration unit and will be used to make the ice sheet for the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® -- will arrive at Busch Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 15. After the installation of field protection, 243 ice pans and a ring of dasher boards to enclose the rink, workers will create a nearly two-inch thick ice surface at Busch Stadium. Fans will be able to follow the entire rink-build process through interactive features and extensive coverage on NHL.com and NHL Network™.

EPIX Presents Road To the NHL Outdoor Classics™

Returning this season, this original series has become an essential part of the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® experience for NHL players and fans alike. The weekly series, consisting of four one-hour episodes, provides an all-access look inside the lives of the Blues and Blackhawks, on and off the ice. This year's edition also will include all-access looks inside the lives of Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, who are facing off in the 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic™ in Toronto on New Year's Day. Produced by Emmy® award winner Ross Greenburg, narrated by Bill Camp (Jason Bourne, Birdman, 12 Years A Slave), EPIX Presents Road To the NHL Outdoor Classics will make its U.S. television premiere Friday, Dec. 16, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 p.m. CT, 9C on EPIX. In addition to its airing on EPIX, U.S. hockey fans will be able to stream each episode of EPIX Presents Road To the NHL Outdoor Classics as a simulcast on EPIX.com and NHL.com.

NHL Legacy Event

The 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® Legacy Initiative will unveil the Lion's Den Children's Activity Room at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Thanks to the Blues, Pat LaFontaine's Companions in Courage Foundation, and the NHL and its partners, the patient gathering room at St. Louis Children's Hospital will receive a complete makeover. An official unveiling will take place Dec. 14.

Team Practices at Busch Stadium

The Blues and Blackhawks will take to the ice for the first time at Busch Stadium for team practices on Jan. 1. NHL Network™ and NHL.com will provide full coverage of the team skates throughout the day.

NHL Winter Classic® Alumni Game

More than 40 former Blues and Blackhawks players and coaches are scheduled to participate in the renewal of this legendary rivalry in the unique outdoor setting. Those scheduled to return for the Blues include Brett Hull, Chris Pronger, Keith Tkachuk, Al MacInnis, Bernie Federko, Wayne Gretzky and more; Red Berenson, Bob Plager, Brian Sutter and Gary Unger will serve as St. Louis's coaches. Tony Esposito and Cliff Koroll lead the Blackhawks alumni with a roster that is scheduled to include Jimmy Waite and Troy Murray, among many other notable names. The game begins Saturday, Dec. 31, at 1:30 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium.

The PreGame presented by Enterprise

With support from NHL partners, The PreGame presented by Enterprise is a free fan festival featuring interactive hockey-themed attractions, live music, prizes and giveaways, food and beverages, and retail locations with an extensive selection of officially-licensed merchandise and collectibles for fans of all ages. The PreGame presented by Enterprise will be held at Ballpark Village in parking lots A & B across from Gate 4 of Busch Stadium from 9 a.m. -- 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 31; Noon -- 4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 1; and 9 a.m. -- Noon CT on Monday, Jan. 2.

Fan Reminders

All persons and their possessions entering Busch Stadium during the 2017 NHL Winter Classic® Alumni Game and 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® are subject to inspection and security screening. Guests may carry in items including backpacks, purses, diaper bags, and fanny packs that do not exceed a maximum size of 16" x 16" x 8". Bags that exceed this size are not permitted in Busch Stadium.
Guests may not exit and re-enter Busch Stadium using the same ticket. Guests three (3) years of age and older are required to have a ticket to both games. Guests under the age of three (3) may sit in a ticketed guest's lap for the 2017 NHL Winter Classic® Alumni Game and the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®.
Fan hospitality and travel packages for the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® are available from PrimeSport, the Official Fan Travel and Hospitality Package Partner of the NHL®. For more information please visit
www.primesport.com/nhl
.