Winter Classic

It won’t be right, but it won’t be wrong either. If you’re looking for some proper way to start off your new year, consider watching a game played at one of the most historic sports venues in the nation. I speak, of course, of Wrigley Field.

I wanted to go to Wrigley Field and watch a game today. What? It's the middle of winter? So? There will be a game played at Wrigley Field on January first, between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. I'll watch hockey at Wrigley. I'd probably watch kids play freeze tag at Wrigley, too. It's just a beautiful stadium.

It’s a beautiful thing for sports fans in the US (and Canada, too), but I wonder how many kids on the ice today won’t really get the significance. They won’t understand the history of Wrigley and Wrigley's ivy-covered outfield. Or that football (the Bears) was played there for a year. Or of the hapless Cubs who can't even win a game of freeze tag. The captains and alternate captains of the Detroit Red Wings are all from Europe. I don’t know how much they’ve heard about Wrigley. And yet, I’m not sure that makes a difference.

It’s a fun game. Hockey was played outdoors. It’s still played outdoors by kids. It’s simply fun. It’s a real game—not an exhibition—so it counts. Just another regular season game. But it’s still a part history.

Sit back and watch.

(Someone said they should head to their nearest craft store to buy fake ivy to hang from the outfield walls. I agree.)