Blackhawks sport Winter Classic equipment during practice 

CHICAGO – It’s always good to be prepared, and the Chicago Blackhawks were doing that on Friday, practicing with some of the equipment they’ll be wearing and using for the Discover NHL Winter Classic on Dec. 31.

Blackhawks skaters donned their Winter Classic gloves and pants, and goaltenders Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom wore the pants, mitt and leg pads they’ll be sporting for this year’s game, when they’ll play the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. The gloves, mitts and goalie leg pads resemble baseball gloves in color, which will be perfect for playing outdoors at the iconic ballpark.

“It feels good. I love the logos, the colors are awesome,” defenseman Seth Jones said. “I saw a lot of the guys using the sticks today, too. It has that old-time feel, that old-school feel.

“We have some games to take care of before that but we’re all looking forward to (the Winter Classic). All our families are coming to town.”

Soderblom said the Vaughn equipment for the goaltenders also felt great.

“Vaughn does a great job of doing the stuff. It feels the same every time. You can jump straight into it,” he said. “It’s nice to get one or two practices before the game but the stuff felt good. It looks pretty cool, too. Kind of the old-school vibe to it.”

As Jones said, the Blackhawks have some business to take care of before the Winter Classic. They’re on a three-game winning streak for the first time since February of 2023 as they head to Calgary. But the Winter Classic is on their minds, and they enjoyed breaking in the equipment they’ll wear on New Year’s Eve.

"It’ll be cool to experience the Winter Classic with everything around it,” Soderblom said.