Sports

Wrigley Field Gears Up For Winter Classic

by Jon Azpiri | December 23, 2008 at 02:30 pm

1094 views | 1 Recommendation | 3 comments

Hockey fans in Chicago are preparing for the Winter Classic hockey game, which will take place New Year's Day at Wrigley Field.

The game will pit the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings, two of the NHL's hottest teams playing in a frozen stadium.

Chicago fans appear to be keen on attending the outdoor game. More than 240,000 fans applied to buy 40,000 available tickets. If you're attending the game, you should check a Wrigley Field seating chart to see if you have a decent view of the game.

"The upper deck will probably be the best seats," Chicago Cubs chairman Crane Kenney told the Associated Press. "The bleachers, as well, but it's the world turned upside down. Being down right next to the field, you'll have a little difficulty with the boards."

You can view a Wrigley Field seating chart here.

Organizers are in the process of installing the rink into Wrigley Field. It looks like the ice will fit nicely onto a baseball diamond.

The 200-by-85-foot rink will be situated between first and third base. The center-ice faceoff dot will measure exactly 112 feet from home plate and 288 feet from the center field wall. The penalty boxes will be precisely 9 feet behind the pitcher's mound.

Behind the team benches will be a 60-by-56-foot auxiliary rink constructed over the outfield grass. It will be used during the game by the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois. To the left and right of the auxiliary rink will be team logos that measure 40 feet long and 40 feet wide. Also draped on the outfield grass will be American and Canadian flags that measure 90-by-45-feet. There also will be batter's box logos of each team.

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bluelliot

at 10:55 on December 24th, 2008

Crews build the ice rink in Wrigley Field. Dec 19, 2008

bluelliot has contributed a photo to this story.

Jon Azpiri

at 19:42 on December 24th, 2008

Thanks for the great photos.

ackbar (not verified)

at 14:00 on December 24th, 2008

That's awesome, best idea the NHL has ever come up with! I love the outdoor games! I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada) and we spent all winter on outdoor rinks. I think the next one should be between the Canucks and Avalanche.