* The Blues gave the thousands of fans who made the trip down I-55 from St. Louis to Wrigley Field lots to cheer about, which prompted “Go Blues Go” chants throughout the ballpark, as the club scored six and became the third team in NHL history to win each of its first three outdoor games.
* Cam Fowler became the first player to skate in his 1,000th game outdoors and just the second defenseman in League history to score twice in that milestone contest. More than 2,000 miles away at Honda Center, his former Ducks teammates walked into the rink with t-shirts to honor the defenseman who skated in his first 991 games with the franchise.
* Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid were two of several players who ended 2024 on a high note as the former helped the Avalanche achieve a rare NHL feat with their fourth straight 50-win calendar year.
* Anze Kopitar can help the Kings extend their lengthy home winning streak when they host Jack Hughes and the Devils on Sportsnet and NHL Network during the lone game on New Year’s Day.
FOWLER AND BLUES RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH ANOTHER OUTDOOR WIN
In a showdown between two longstanding opponents in the NHL’s expansion era, it was one of the newest faces in the rivalry that made an instant impact as Cam Fowler (2-0—2) embraced the first-ever Winter Classic rematch with a pair of goals. Celebrating his 1,000th career game, the Blues defenseman helped his club become the third franchise to win each of their first three outdoor game appearances (also NYR: 5-0-0 & WSH: 3-0-0).
* Fowler spearheaded a Blues output that is no stranger to offensive success outdoors, scoring at least four goals in that scenario for the third time in as many contests (6 at 2022 WC & 4 at 2017 WC). St. Louis joined Detroit (6 at 2009 WC, 5 at 2016 SS & 4 at 2017 CC) as the second franchise in NHL history to reach the mark on three different occasions.
* Overall, the Blues became the fifth team to score at least 16 total goals outdoors and reached the mark in just three games – fewest among the other five teams, with three of those clubs appearing in at least five outdoor contests.
* The goal-scoring trend outdoors extends to the NHL’s most recent event – the 2024 Stadium Series – where the Rangers (6), Devils (6) and Islanders (5) also scored at least five goals. The League has featured three consecutive outdoor games with a team reaching the mark for the first time.
WINTER CLASSIC QUICK HITS
* Jordan Kyrou followed up a record setting four-point performance at the 2022 Winter Classic with the second of two first-period Blues goals. He became the second player to register five points in a span of two outdoor games, following David Pastrnak (4-1—5 at 2019 Winter Classic & 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe).
* Justin Faulk (1-2—3) matched the NHL record for points in an outdoor game by a defenseman. He now shares the distinction with Noah Dobson (0-3—3 at 2024 SS), John Carlson (1-2—3 at 2018 SS), Brian Rafalski (1-2—3 at 2009 WC) and Steve Staios (1-2—3 at 2003 HC).
* Connor Bedard (0-1—1) became the fourth teenager to register a point in an outdoor game, joining Auston Matthews (2-0—2 at 2017 CC), Mitch Marner (1-0—1 at 2017 CC) and Connor McDavid (0-1—1 at 2016 HC).
* Jim Montgomery became the seventh head coach in NHL history to win each of his first two or more outdoor appearances. He joined Alain Vigneault (3 GP), Bruce Cassidy (2 GP), Barry Trotz (2 GP), Michel Therrien (2 GP), Bruce Boudreau (2 GP) and Claude Julien (2 GP).
* A crowd of 40,933 experienced the Discover NHL Winter Classic, an event that included the unveiling of the Quarter-Century Teams for the Blackhawks and Blues, respectively.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM WRIGLEY FIELD
* The Blackhawks rode the iconic CTA train, a classic way for fans to arrive to the ballpark, in ‘Team Chicago’ gear that honored first responders with Chicago Fire, Police and Emergency Management and Communications patches down their sleeves and pants. The personalized outfits were capped with each player choosing a charitable or community-based organization to wear on their hat. The Blues made their entrance sporting gear from a former St. Louis player, Wayne Gretzky, from his ‘Basement’ collection.
* Two of Chicago’s own entertainment acts took to Wrigley Field, starting with The Smashing Pumpkins, who kickstarted the New Year’s Eve festivities with a pre-game show. During the first intermission, Chance The Rapper thrilled the crowd with a performance that included ‘Cocoa Butter Kisses’ and ‘I’m the One’.
* Other memorable moments included a puck drop with Blackhawks legends Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick and Denis Savard; Longtime Illinois congressman Mike Quigley skating with kids on Wrigley Field as he continues to find new ways to spread word of hockey; Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore attending the game decked out in his Blackhawks Winter Classic gear; Jon Hamm and Bill Murray joining NHL on TNT crew to talk about their hockey fandom; and Chance the Rapper accepting a $100,000 donation from the NHL, NHLPA and Blackhawks to the charity he founded, SocialWorks, which is dedicated to empowering the city’s youth.
* ICYMI: The NHL released drone footage on YouTube of a tour of Wrigley Field featuring the layout of the Discover NHL Winter Classic, showcasing the various elements of the park along with the many moving parts that help put the event together.
MacKINNON, MAKAR HELP AVALANCHE EARN 50TH WIN OF 2024
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each picked up an assist to boost their 2024 totals and help Colorado (23-15-0, 46 points) skate to its fifth straight win as well as its 50th regular-season victory of the calendar year. The Avalanche, who have posted 50-plus victories in four straight years, are the only club with an active run of multiple 50-win years.
* MacKinnon closed out 2024 with 46-97—143 (83 GP) and became the fifth different player in the past 35 years to record as many regular-season points in a calendar year. He joined Connor McDavid (2022 & 2021), Jaromir Jagr (1999 & 1995), Mario Lemieux (1992 & 1989) and Wayne Gretzky (1991 & 1989).
* Makar boosted his 2024 totals to 24-71—95 (83 GP) and bested his own franchise mark for points in a calendar year by an Avalanche/Nordiques defenseman (24-70—94 in 2022). Makar also tied Roman Josi (21-74—95 in 2022) for the most points in a calendar year among active blueliners.
* More notes and storylines from the past 365 days can be found in the **2024 Year in Review by NHL Stats**, which will be updated and distributed on New Year’s Day.
COUNTDOWN TO 2025 WITH #NHLSTATS
Another year has come to a close and it did so the same way it started – with a whole lot of excitement. Here are five storylines from across the busy New Year’s Eve slate. For more, check out the final 2024 edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
5. Zach Werenski factored on the tying tally to extend his home point streak to 13 games as the Blue Jackets (16-16-6, 38 points) rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the third period to win in the shootout and moved within two points of the idle Senators (19-15-2, 40 points) for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Werenski (8-17—25) became the second defenseman in the past 30 years to record a home point streak of 13 or more contests, following Mike Green (14 GP in 2009-10).
- After trailing 2-0, Cole Caufield scored the 100th goal of his career and Emil Heineman pulled Montreal even, setting the stage for Kirby Dach to find the back of the net and complete the comeback win. Caufield (100-83—183 in 242 GP) required the third-fewest games among Canadiens players in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to reach the 100-goal milestone behind Stephane Richer (226 GP) and Mats Naslund (233 GP).
- Anaheim’s Ryan Strome became the ninth player in NHL history to score a go-ahead game winner in the final five minutes of regulation in consecutive games. The only other active player to achieve the feat is Nikita Kucherov (2 GP from Oct. 29-Nov.1, 2022).
After reaching the 1,300-point plateau in his last outing, Patrick Kane found the score sheet again with his 130th career power-play goal and tied Bill Guerin for the ninth most by an American player in NHL history.
1. Connor McDavid (0-2—2) concluded 2024 by adding to his NHL-leading assists (138) and points (180) total for the calendar year (regular season & playoffs) and will enter 2025 riding a 12-game point streak. With the two points, McDavid (1,036) surpassed Mark Messier (1,034) for the third most in franchise history, behind Wayne Gretzky (1,669) and Jari Kurri (1,043).
QUICK CLICKS
* Chance the Rapper partners with NHL, NHLPA, Blackhawks for charity
* Wrigley Field proves perfect setting for ‘absolutely awesome’ Winter Classic
* Ducks sport custom T-shirts in honor of former teammate Fowler’s 1,000th NHL game
* Jon Hamm, Bill Murray join NHL on TNT crew before Winter Classic
* Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter honored with moment of silence at Winter Classic
KINGS, DEVILS DUEL ON SPORTSNET, NHL NETWORK TO RING IN NEW YEAR
Jack Hughes and the Devils (24-13-3, 51 points) visit Anze Kopitar and the Kings (21-10-5, 47 points) on Sportsnet and NHL Network during the lone game New Year’s Day. Los Angeles can log an eighth consecutive victory at Crypto.com Arena dating to Nov. 23, 2024.
