The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks battled in the 2024 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, and it quickly became apparent that the MLB stadium was not necessarily constructed to accomodate a hockey game.
That had nothing to do with the rink, which was placed across the infield from third base to first base, but rather the path players had to take to get to the ice. A comical clip surfaced on social media in which a Blues player could be seen struggling to walk down a large set of stairs while wearing his skates.
Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko had a bit of a tough time making his way down the 49-stair staircase that connected the rink to the locker room. Although his teammate in front of him appeared to be tackling the stairs without much difficulty, Toropchenko was spotted awkwardly and slowly making his way down toward the ice.
Talk about a tough commute 😅@StLouisBlues | #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/fVWipz93Y3
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 31, 2024
That commute looks anything but enjoyable, and it probably didn't feel too great going up those stairs at the end of an exhausting 20-minute period, either.
Not everyone found the stairs to be problematic. Goaltender Joel Hofer, despite wearing full pads, cruised straight down the stairs without any issues whatsoever without even reaching out to hold the railing.
Joel Hofer: master of the stairs 🩰@StLouisBlues | #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/hjxmD5zGVZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 31, 2024
Despite a difficult trek between the locker room and the rink, St. Louis dominated throughout the first two periods against Chicago, jumping out to a 5–1 lead thanks to a pair of goals from veteran defenseman Cam Fowler, who was playing in his 1,000th NHL game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Blues Players Struggle Down Stairs Walking From Locker Room to Ice at Winter Classic.
