CHICAGO (AP) — Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks took the train to work on Tuesday.
Carrying their sticks and skates and dressed in custom “Team Chicago” gear, the Blackhawks used one of the city's famed elevated trains to travel to Wrigley Field for their matchup with the St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic.
“A lot of guys haven’t been here long, haven’t got to take the train either, take CTA, so it was fun to do that and kind of get an experience of what it’s like coming to a Cubs game,” defenseman Connor Murphy said.
“It’s one of the best ways to spend a summer day ... here at a game. So doing it with a little bit of a different climate is fun in itself, too.”
The Blues dressed in gray sweatshirts and hats for their bus trip to the home of baseball's Chicago Cubs. The hats had 99 on the front and the shirts had a round emblem with 99 and GRETZKY'S BASEMENT — a nod to the hockey school connected to Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.
“We just thought it would be a great opportunity to honor Wayne and everything he’s done for the game," Blues defenseman Justin Faulk said. "He’s obviously an integral part in St. Louis, too. He’s done a lot for the community there and still does and he’s great to everyone in the organization and the guys and we thought there’s no better way to show our appreciation than to do this today for him.”
St. Louis and Chicago are meeting in the 16th edition of the outdoor event. It’s the second go-round for Wrigley after the ballpark also hosted the Winter Classic in 2009.
It’s also the first rematch in the history of the game. The Blues beat the Blackhawks 4-1 in the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium.
“I think since the Blues came into the league, Blackhawk-Blues have been a great rivalry,” St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery said. “It’s one of the top rivalries in the league.”
The Blackhawks used their pregame gear to highlight the connection between the franchise and the city. The clothes had patches paying tribute to Chicago's first responders, and each player picked a charitable or community-based organization for their hat.
“It’s a neat thing to bring our community together, right?” captain Nick Foligno said. “And one of the big things we talked about was our first responders, too, and what they mean to our community and what they do for us. And we wanted to kind of highlight that and also highlight what means a lot to us.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
