Over a month ago, on New Year’s Day, the National Hockey League hosted its 15th annual Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington. The 2024 Winter Classic saw the Seattle Kraken face off against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Today, the NHL announced Wrigley Field for the 2025 Winter Classic with a matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues.

The Winter Classic is a yearly event with players taking to the ice on New Year’s Day with rinks fashioned in baseball and football stadiums. The Winter Classic first emerged in 2008 when the Buffalo Sabres played against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Buffalo Bill’s home field of Highmark Stadium. Some notable Winter Classic locations have included Wrigley Field, Michigan Stadium, also known as “The Big House,” Citi Field, and Fenway Park. Since the NHL Winter Classic commenced in 2008, there have been 15 games on New Year’s Day. The only exceptions were in 2013 because of the lockout season and 2021 because of COVID-19.

What makes the Winter Classic such an exciting experience, whether from the viewpoint of a player, fan, or even a spectator watching on television, is that the game of hockey at the highest levels returns to its natural form: outdoors on a pond. When NHL players have the opportunity to play in the NHL Winter Classic, it is often a nostalgic experience as most grew up playing pond hockey.

Participants in the Winter Classic each year are selected solely by the NHL for the outdoor contest. It is doubtful that the New York Islanders will participate in the NHL Winter Classic anytime soon. The release of the 2025 Winter Classic matchup makes clear that the NHL will continue to reuse teams that have previously skated on New Year’s Day and their selection is governed by a team’s popularity.

When analyzing the 15 NHL Winter Classics that have occurred, as well as the upcoming New Year’s Day 2025 matchup, four of these 16 matchups will have had two Original Six teams playing each other. Eleven of these 16 matchups will have had at least one Original Six-team playing. The NHL is not afraid to have the same team play multiple times in the Winter Classic. The Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals have all participated twice. The Pittsburgh Penguins have participated three times. The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks have both participated four times. With the upcoming 2025 matchup set, the Blackhawks will soon have participated in the Winter Classic five times, and the Blues will soon have participated thrice. Since the NHL started the Winter Classic in 2008, after the upcoming 2025 matchup, the Blackhawks will have participated in over 30% of these games. Furthermore, 50% of the 16 Winter Classic matchups will have included the Boston Bruins or the Chicago Blackhawks.

Why does the NHL consistently reuse the same teams for the NHL Winter Classic? Simply put, the NHL follows the money. The NHL selects the teams with the largest fanbases which are the most popular. Using teams with large fanbases guarantees viewership for the contest each New Year’s Day.

For example, if we look at various NHL team’s Instagram followers, the Original Six teams dominate. The Chicago Blackhawks have the second most Instagram followers of any NHL team, with 1.8 million followers. The Boston Bruins are in third with 1.6 million followers. The New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for fourth with 1.3 million followers. The next closest team is the Washington Capitals. Although they are not an Original Six team, they have 967,000 followers. After the Capitals, the two closest teams are the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings, with 956,000 followers and 915,000 followers, respectively. The NHL team with the most followers on Instagram, which is not an Original Six team, is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have 2.9 million followers on Instagram. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are two of the most popular teams in the NHL because of their two respective star players: Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Although both players are in the later stages of their careers, both have dominated the NHL since the mid-2000s. Both players’ ability to perform in the most challenging moments and the flare they have brought to the NHL has increased NHL popularity.

Unfortunately, the New York Islanders do not have the level of popularity that Original Six teams have or superstars on their team such as Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. The Islanders have one of the lowest number of Instagram followers among NHL teams. At 450,000 Instagram followers, the Islanders have only more followers than the Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and the Ottawa Senators. The Islanders can only set themselves up as a Winter Classic participate by increasing their fanbase beyond Long Island and the New York Metro area. Without the fans, it is unlikely that the Islanders will participate in the Winter Classic anytime soon.

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