Blackhawks, Blues Winter Classic Viewership Hit All Time Low

The NHL Winter Classic is losing its spunk with the St. Louis Blues blowout of the Chicago Blackhawks marking a new low.

Dec 31, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jake Neighbours (63) congratulates center Jordan Kyrou (25) after Kyrou scored a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The 2025 Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks was the 15th edition of the annual outdoor game held by the NHL. While the event is always a joyous occasion for the host city, the game between the Blues and Blackhawks caught the fewest number of eyes in its history.

While the Blues dominated the Blackhawks for a 6-2 win at Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field, a record-low number of people tuned in to watch. Metrics show that under 1 million people watched the Winter Classic, averaging 920,000 viewers.

The peak viewership came around 6:45 p.m. with the high watermark hitting 1.2 million, a 16% decrease from the Winter Classic between the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken in 2024.

Numbers have been declining every year around the Winter Classic, but this was the first time the average viewership dipped below 1 million.

There were a few factors that likely caused the drop in audience, chief among them possibly being the new date. For the first time since it’s debut in 2008, the Winter Classic was held on New Year’s Eve rather than New Year’s Day.

The NHL moved the game to avoid clashing with the College Football Playoff, but there were still big NCAA games played that day.

The Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Boise State kicked off near the end of the Winter Classic.

Not part of the College Football Playoff, but the University of Illinois Fighting Illini were playing the in the Citrus Bowl, likely pulling away local Chicago viewers.

Another factor that didn’t help the cause is the Blackhawks entering the game as the worst team in the league. Holding a 12-24-2 record and now a five-game losing streak, the Blackhawks rank 32nd out of 32 teams in the NHL.

The Blues are also multiple points out of a playoff spot, but they handled the Blackhawks with ease. Before the halfway point of the opening period, the Blues were up 2-0.

The Winter Classic in Chicago wasn’t even the only NHL game being played that day. 24 other teams hit the ice on New Year’s Eve, likely drawing casual hockey fans away from Wrigley Field to watch their favorite team instead.

920,000 still stands as the largest audience of an NHL regular season game for the 2024-25 season, but it’s another sign of a gradual decrease in interest in outdoor games.

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