After two years of waiting, the Minnesota Wild finally hosted the NHL Winter Classic on Saturday night. While Target Field served as a beautiful backdrop for the event, Jordan Kyrou and the St. Louis Blues spoiled the party, handing the Wild a 6-4 defeat.
It was clear from the start that this wasn’t a typical hockey game. The outfield was transformed into “Lake Winter Classic” with eight smaller rinks, a warming house and (fake) deer roaming around.
Absolute 🔥 this drone tour is❕
Watch the 2022 NHL #WinterClassic TODAY at 7p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and @Sportsnet!
NHL x @Discover pic.twitter.com/rtcRANlPop
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2022
While fans entered Target Field with plenty of layers, the elements provided a layer of authenticity with a temperature of -8F at puck drop. The temp surpassed the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton (0F) for the coldest game in NHL history and was the third-coldest professional sporting event on record in North America.
Number 3 on the charts but number 1 in your hearts…
The 2022 #WinterClassic is the third coldest professional sporting event in North America 🥶 #NHLonTNT pic.twitter.com/gfNbsCd8re
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) January 2, 2022
After a star-studded pre-game ceremony that included Minnesota sports legends from John Randle to Joe Mauer, Wild legends Nicolas Backstrom and Mikko Koivu and North Stars legend Lou Nanne led the crowd in “Let’s Play Hockey.”
Once the game started, the Wild looked like a team that hadn’t played since Dec. 20. The Blues controlled play for most of the opening period and took advantage when David Perron put St. Louis on the board with his eighth goal of the season.
Kirill Kaprizov salvaged the first period for the Wild when his pass deflected into the back of the net for his 13th goal of the year. The marker sent both teams into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
KIRILL BROUGHT THE HEAT 🔥#mnwild | #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/lOmeeMiQ85
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 2, 2022
When the teams returned to the ice, Jordan Kyrou took over. The Blues forward gave St. Louis the lead with his 11th goal of the season and then assisted by goals by Vladimir Tarasenko and Ian Barbashev to give the Blues a 4-1 advantage.
Kyrou capped off a four-point period with his second goal of the night and when Rem Pitlick chipped into the lead with his sixth goal of the season, Torey Krug scored to put the Blues ahead 6-2.
Jordan Kyrou first player in NHL history to record four points in an outdoor game. There have been 33
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 2, 2022
The Wild made a late comeback attempt with Ryan Hartman and Kevin Fiala scoring in the third but Minnesota was too disorganized and tentative when shooting the puck. With the rally coming up short, St. Louis defeated the Wild for the 11th time in the past 14 meetings.
Despite the rough night on the ice, the Winter Classic was a big success. All the big names showed up despite the freezing temperatures and 38,519 fans packed Target Field to celebrate the occasion.
After the disappointing loss, the Wild (19-10-2) will return to action on Thursday when they host the Boston Bruins.
