Hawks And Penguins Going Outside

The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins are taking their next contest outside.

Two of the league’s top teams will square off in front of 61,000-plus fans at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The battle on the lakefront will be the teams’ first meeting since Dec. 20, 2011, and the first professional hockey game ever at the historic stadium, which opened its doors in 1924.

“The Chicago Blackhawks are privileged to be included in the National Hockey League’s outdoor stadium series,” said Blackhawks President and CEO John McDonough. “Hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins at iconic Soldier Field promises to be a unique experience for our organization and our fans.”

Blackhawks full season ticketholders will be provided an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to this historic game before tickets are made available to the general public. Fans interested in the general public on-sale, further news and special offers around the event should register right now to receive more information at NHL.com/2014Chicago.

The Blackhawks and Penguins both enter the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top seed in their respective conferences. Led by dynamic captains Jonathan Toews and Sidney Crosby, and featuring superstars including Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin, Duncan Keith and Kris Letang, the Blackhawks and Penguins are two of the NHL’s most popular teams, and two of the most successful on the ice.

This marks the second time Chicago will host an outdoor regular-season NHL game. On a magical New Year’s Day in 2009, the Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings as 40,818 fans packed historic Wrigley Field and thousands more looked on from the rooftops across the street in comfortable 32-degree weather. The television broadcast of the game drew an 11.8 overnight rating, a 21 share on NBC 5 in Chicago and 4.4 million U.S. viewers overall, making it the most-watched NHL game in 34 years, according to Nielsen Media Research.