St Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues dominated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 during the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

The Blackhawks have infamously struggled in the Winter Classic, with their record dropping to 1-6 and registering just 17 goals over seven games in the outdoor series.

In his 1,000th game, defenseman Cam Fowler led the Blues in scoring with two goals on two shots, adding one blocked shot to his performance to help with the victory.

Despite the lack of competition, fans were in awe of Wrigley Field in its new look: transformed into a winter wonderland for the Winter Classic, with the iconic ballpark serving as a stunning backdrop for the outdoor game:

The first period kicked off with an early goal from Blues' Fowler, assisted by Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas, just 1:40 into the game. Blues center Jordan Kyrou extended the lead to 2-0 with a wrist shot, assisted by Jake Neighbours.

Late in the first, left wing Taylor Hall scored for the Blackhawks on a snap shot, stopping the bleeding as the Blues held a 2-1 lead entering the second period.

The third period was all Blues as defensemen Justin Faulk and left wing Dylan Holloway scored and Fowler found his second goal of the day, giving the Blues a 5-1 lead entering the final period.

Blackhawks left wing Tyler Bertuzzi found the net just past the midway point of the third period, ending Chicago's scoreless streak and narrowing the score to 5-2. However, Blues center Alexandre Texier quickly responded with a goal of his own, extending the lead back to four and securing a commanding advantage to close out the game.

The Blues improved to 18-17 on the season, while the Blackhawks dropped to 12-24.

It didn't take long for Jim Montgomery to find his new home.

The St. Louis Blues announced Sunday they fired head coach Drew Bannister just 22 games into the season and hired Montgomery to replace him on a five-year contract. Montgomery was available because the Boston Bruins fired him following an 8-9-3 to the 2024-25 campaign.

It seemed like Bannister had the Blues on the right track last season when he posted a 30-19-5 record as the interim coach after the team fired Craig Berube. While St. Louis still missed the playoffs, it elevated expectations heading into the new season.

Things have not gone as planned.

St. Louis is just 9-12-1 overall and has won a total of two games since improving to 7-6-0 with a Nov. 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is in sixth place in the Central Division and is already five points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

While there is plenty of time to turn things around, it's not everyday a coach with Montgomery's resume is available in the middle of a season.

Boston went 65-12-5 and took home the Presidents' Trophy in his first season as the team's coach in 2022-23. He was awarded the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award for coach of the year after breaking the record for the most wins by a coach in a first season with a team.

The Bruins also made the playoffs in his second season with a 47-20-15 record, although the postseason performances were a concern.

Rather, the Florida Panthers were a concern.

Florida stunned the Presidents' Trophy team in the first round in 2023 and then eliminated the Bruins again in the second round last season. The Panthers ended up winning the Stanley Cup in 2024, which is something the Bruins haven't done since 2011.

It wasn't long ago that St. Louis was holding up the Stanley Cup in 2019, and it will be up to Montgomery to return the franchise to that standard.

He is familiar with the Blues, as he played 67 games for the team during his rookie season in an NHL career that also included stops with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He was also an assistant coach in St. Louis for two seasons (2020-22) during a stretch that included an impressive 109-point total in 2021-22.

Montgomery was also the head coach for the Stars for 114 games in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and went 60-43-10.

The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are embracing a vintage look for their New Year's Eve Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

The Blackhawks and Blues unveiled the uniforms on Wednesday ahead of the Dec. 31 outdoor game.

The St. Louis uniform marks the first time in franchise history the Blues will wear a sweater without a music note as the team's primary logo, according to the NHL.

The Blackhawks uniform features red stars representing the flag of the city of Chicago. The back numbers feature pinstripes in a nod to Wrigley Field's baseball history, according to the league.

The Blues sweaters are "inspired by an unworn prototype Blues uniform from 1966," according to the NHL.

The St. Louis jerseys also contain a nod to their own city's flag by incorporating a fleur-de-lis inside the back of the uniform's neck, the league noted.

The Dec. 31 clash between Central Division opponents marks the 16th Winter Classic in NHL history, as well as the 42nd regular-season game played outdoors.

The Blues and Blackhawks previously met in the 2017 Winter Classic. The Blues won 4-1 at Busch Stadium thanks to a pair of goals from former St. Louis winger Vladimir Tarasenko.

This year it will be Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich facing off against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks.

The Blues head into the matchup with a 2-0-0 record in outdoor games, while the Blackhawks are 1-5-0. The Hawks last won outdoors in 2014, when the team defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field.

Bedard, then eight years old, told NHL.com's Tracey Myers he remembers watching the win at Soldier Field. He will now look to cap off the 2024 calendar year by leading the Blackhawks to the franchise's second outdoor victory.