GUY RAZ, host:
At the home of the Chicago Cubs today, it was hockey pucks rather than baseballs. The second Annual National Hockey League Winter Classic was played outdoors at Wrigley Field. A sell-out crowd of more than 40,000 people turned out to watch the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago Public Radio's Tony Arnold was there.
TONY ARNOLD: I'm standing here under the big famous red marquee of Wrigley Field at the corner of Addison and Clark on Chicago's north side. It's cold, it's windy, it's overcast but that's not stopping people from coming out. Lots of them are out here for the opportunity to see ice hockey on a baseball field, but as I'm finding and talking to NHL fans, they're excited for the game not so much because it's hockey on a baseball diamond, it's because it's hockey on this baseball diamond.
Mr. JEREMY LACHEY (Chicago Cubs Fan): I mean, playing hockey at Wrigley's is just - it's something crazy and, you know, just watching two original six teams play at one of the oldest ball parks in the nation is pretty awesome so - and it's just going to be fun just to watch some hockey.
ARNOLD: Jeremy Lachey(ph) was winding his way through the heavy crowds of Wrigleyville this morning about to meet up with his family. As a hockey and a Cubs fan, Lachey was in sports heaven. The NHL has found a niche in hyping this annual outdoor game, this year using a recording of beloved late Cubs announcer Harry Caray.
(Soundbite of song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game")
STADIUM CROWD: (Singing) Take me out to the ballgame, Take me out with the crowd, Buy me some...
ARNOLD: But as for how the NHL got here - putting an ice rink on top of a baseball diamond, it wasn't easy. Crews were putting in 16 and 17 hour long days getting everything in order and they did it in blistery cold winter weather. Jamie Horne(ph) is with the NHL.
Mr. JAMIE HORNE (National Hockey League): In terms of the weather, it builds the drama. I mean, it's an uncertainty, and I think that we're battling the elements everyday and it's part of the overall story really.
ARNOLD: As for the game, defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings proved to be too much for the Blackhawks today, winning six to four on the road in the frigid, friendly confines of Wrigley Field. For NPR News, I'm Tony Arnold in Chicago.