Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Blackhawks, Blues Set To Square Off In NHL Winter Classic, Tickets Are Soaring

12/29/2016 at 4:16pm EST

By Tim Dolan,

The 2017 NHL Winter Classic is rapidly approaching, set to be played on Monday, January 2, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. This year, the game will feature two Western Conference rivals, with the St. Louis Blues taking on the Chicago Blackhawks at the home of Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals.

It will be the first ever hockey game played at Busch Stadium and this matchup marks the 50th anniversary of the Great Expansion of 1967, in which the Blues -- and a host of other clubs -- joined the NHL, doubling the league’s size. St. Louis will be playing in their first ever outdoor game, while the Blackhawks will be appearing in their third Winter Classic. Additionally, this will be Chicago’s fourth straight season playing an outdoor game, as they regularly garner participation in some of hockey’s special regular season contests. As a result, the Blackhawks might have the advantage here despite playing on the road, with the Blues never playing in an outdoor game before.

As is usually the case with the annual Winter Classic, fans are going to have to pay up in order to be in attendance at the stadium for this special affair. According to data provided by TicketIQ, tickets are averaging a whopping $529.58 on the secondary market, while the get-in price is registering as high as $243. With just under two weeks to go until the opening faceoff, it’s possible that price increases even more.

The Blackhawks and Blues engage in one of the most intense rivalries in the NHL. These two teams have met 366 times throughout their respective histories, with Chicago carrying an 180-141-35-10 advantage. St. Louis, however, knocked them out in the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs in what was a very entertaining series. St. Louis jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven, before having to stave off a late charge from the Blackhawks to win the series in the deciding seventh game.

Despite the first round exit, Chicago has started the season strongly, pacing the Western Conference with 46 points. The Blues actually have the second-most points in the conference with 38, which illustrates just how good the Blackhawks have been thus far in the 2016-17 campaign. If St. Louis wants to close the point gap and capture that No. 1 seed, it will have to find a way to slow down Chicago’s potent second line. This second unit, which features Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, and Patrick Kane, is arguably the best second line in the NHL, with all three players ranking in the Top-20 in points scored.

The NHL Winter Classic is always a great time for hockey fans to come together for some great action in a unique outdoor setting. Furthermore, fans at this year’s event will be in for some historic action as well, considering this will be the first-ever Winter Classic emanating from Busch Stadium.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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