2019 NHL Winter Classic


The 2019 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League game, part of the Winter Classic series, that was played on January 1, 2019. The game featured the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Boston Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, home of the University of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish football team. This was the fourth Winter Classic for the Blackhawks and the third for the Bruins. The game was the Bruins' first Winter Classic as the visiting team, and the first time the NHL hosted an outdoor game outside a team's immediate media market.

Game summary

The Boston Bruins won 4–2 with Tuukka Rask in goal, making 36 saves. The game was Rask's 469th for the Bruins, making him the most prolific goaltender in Bruins history. David Pastrňák, Patrice Bergeron, Sean Kuraly and Brad Marchand scored the goals for the Bruins. Brendan Perlini and Dominik Kahun scored the goals for the Blackhawks.

Officials

Referees: Eric Furlatt, Francis Charron
Linesmen: Matt MacPherson, Bryan Pancich

Entertainment

A pre-game performance was conducted by the Jacks, Weezer performed a three-song concert during the first intermission including their hit cover of "Africa" by Toto, and Judah & the Lion performed a three-song concert during the second intermission.

Broadcasting

broadcast the game as it has done since the event's inception. Like the previous two Winter Classics, Sportsnet simulcast the NBC feed in Canada, while TVA Sports used NBC's video to dub their French-language commentary.
The game was simulcast on NBC Sports Radio; it was the last program carried on the network before it converted to a part-time syndication service that day.

Ratings

Viewership for the 2019 Winter Classic jumped 20% over the previous season, rising to a 1.94 overnight rating and 2.97 million overall viewers, recovering three years of viewership declines.