Behind the scenes with Bedard and more on Episode 3 of ‘Road to the NHL Winter Classic’

Jordan Binnington is surrounded by his teammates congratulating him on becoming the all-time winningest goaltender in St. Louis Blues history after a 3-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 27.

It's one highlight in the third episode of the "Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic Presented by Enterprise," which premiered Wednesday on TNT in the United States and debuts at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday on SN1 in Canada.

The four-part docuseries follows the Blackhawks and Blues as they prepare for the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 31 (5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

The final episode of the series will air prior to the game Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT and 4:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.

The third episode features more behind-the-scenes moments with St. Louis and Chicago players, coaches and staff. It shows Binnington enjoying some family time with his wife, Cristine, and their son, Johnny, who has got his own little tennis racket.

"We do 1,000 strokes a day, working on his forehand, backhand. Chip shots. And when he's done, he'll let us know," Binnington said. Not long after that, Johnny dropped the racket.

"He's done," Binnington said.

At Wrigley Field, Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, is using an off day to shoot some footage for Sherwood Hockey, with whom he has an official partnership. The Blackhawks center is wearing an Avirex jacket and sporting a Marucci glove, two brands that have collaborated with Sherwood to make the limited-edition Bedard Chi-Town Collection, which features a crossover between hockey and baseball.

"We built Connor a new special graphic that he's going to use for the game itself, then all the other products stem off that design," said Brendon Arnold, associate vice president of brand for Sherwood Hockey.

"The Avirex jacket looks like the hockey stick, the Marucci baseball glove looks like the hockey stick, a black baseball, just adding some energy, some excitement into the hockey world."

As the Blackhawks and Blues continue with their respective schedules, former Blues forward Kelly Chase continues to fight acute myeloid leukemia, which he was diagnosed with in November 2023.

In honor of Chase, Blues captain Brayden Schenn is using Chase's shoulder pads as the postgame "reward" handed out in the locker room to the top player of the game.

"It's pretty special for our family," Chase's son Will said. "Those shoulder pads meant a lot to my dad growing up playing since he was 14 years old. Some guys have sticks, some guys have helmets. For him, it was the shoulder pads that he stuck with throughout his career."

After receiving a chemotherapy treatment on the morning of Dec. 12, Chase attends the Blues' game against the San Jose Sharks that night. He thanks the Blues and the fans for their continued support at the game, which is the Blues' Hockey Fights Cancer night.

"I know what's ahead of me," he said. "I'm going to go in there and fight so that when my cells start to retain and my body accepts the bone marrow and stem cell, I come back with more of a vengeance than I did last time, and I'll be all right."

As the Blues come back home after a four-game road trip, the Blackhawks head to the New York City area, where they'll play their next three games against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.

At UBS Arena, Anthony Maroon, the 16-year-old son of Blackhawks forward Patrick Maroon, stands in a suite watching his father play against the Islanders. Anthony is playing junior hockey and currently living with former Islanders forward Josh Bailey and his family.

"We're so far apart but I'll text him after every game, I'll call him after every game," Anthony said. "Words can't describe how great of a dad he is to me. I don't get to see him as much and it just makes me feel special watching him play. He's at 800-plus games now. I want to see him get that 1000th."

Meanwhile, Blackhawks teammate Ryan Donato is hoping to play in his first Winter Classic. The forward was a scratch for the Boston Bruins when they played the Blackhawks in the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. He was with the Minnesota Wild when it was announced in 2020 that they would play in the 2021 Winter Classic (which was moved to 2022 because of COVID-19) but was traded to the San Jose Sharks in October 2020, and after two seasons with the Seattle Kraken, he signed with the Blackhawks in 2023, before Seattle played the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2024 Winter Classic.

"There have been a couple of times I've been close," he said. "Hopefully this year is the year."