Photo: Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports

The date and time for the NHL's annual Winter Classic has been announced. The Chicago Blackhawks will take on the St. Louis Blues at 4:00 PM CT on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 at Wrigley Field.

While the opponent and location have been confirmed since early February, we now know when the game will take place.

What's interesting is the NHL straying from its traditional New Year's Day time slate for the Winter Classic. Opting to place the game on New Year's Eve, which falls on a Tuesday this year, could potentially help boost ratings for the event which suffered its lowest ratings ever in the 2023-24 season's installment featuring the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. 

College football has traditionally owned New Year's Day television, and it seems like the NHL will finally try a new approach. Along with the new date and time will be Blackhawks' phenom forward Connor Bedard, the NHL's new ratings machine who debuted to strong numbers in some of this season's most-watched primetime games.

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