By Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus and Jeremy Rutherford 

CHICAGO — The spectacle of an NHL rink wedged between the first- and third-base lines at Wrigley Field did not disappoint at Tuesday’s Winter Classic, a capacity crowd braving chilling rain and biting wind to take in the view, the fireworks and a brief Smashing Pumpkins concert. The Blackhawks arrived on the L train, leaving the Addison stop with their skates slung over their shoulders like kids marching out to the pond. The weather (mostly) cleared just in time, everything proceeded on schedule, and the NHL really couldn’t have asked for much more.

Then the puck dropped.

The environment was pristine, but the game was lopsided and choppy as the Blackhawks and Blues did what the Blackhawks and Blues do in the league’s signature regular-season event. St. Louis scored two early power-play goals and never looked back, cruising to a 6-2 victory. St. Louis is now 3-0 in the Winter Classic and Chicago is 0-5.

Here are some takeaways:

Cam Fowler, who was No. 12 overall pick by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010, played 991 games for the organization before being traded to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 14.

Fowler’s wife, Jasmine, pointed out that his 1,000th NHL game would be at the Winter Classic in Chicago.

“The whole day is going to be pretty surreal,” Fowler said Monday, on the eve of the outdoor game. “The game itself is going to be an incredible experience, and then when you mix in the personal accomplishments, it’s going to be a special day.”

Fowler didn’t know at the time how special.

On his second shift, the defenseman netted his first goal of the game on the power play for a 1-0 Blues lead.

Someone grabbed the puck and moments later the souvenir was in the possession of Blues athletic trainer Ray Barile.

The first goal of the #WinterClassic belongs to Mr. 1,000 Games himself – Cam Fowler. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/vuthUzIK3Y

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 31, 2024

Late in the second period, Fowler had his second of the game, cementing what will certainly be a career memory for a player who grew up about three hours away in Windsor, Ontario.

Petr Mrázek had been the main reason why the Blackhawks were in games for much of the first two months of the season. Game after game, he was keeping them competitive, just as he did last season.

But Mrázek hasn’t been near that goalie for all of December. In Mrázek’s six starts in the month, he allowed four or more goals in five games, and the other he left in the first period due to an injury. With the five goals he gave up Tuesday, he finished the month with 110 saves on 134 shots for an .821 save percentage.

Mrázek missed a few weeks in December due to a groin injury. Tuesday’s start was his third since he returned. The Blackhawks had been riding him in net more than expected due to Laurent Brossoit’s injury issues, but Mrázek didn’t think that workload contributed to his injury. Still, the Blackhawks are well aware Mrázek has a recent history of groin injuries and they probably need to be careful with him going forward. You would think that means more starts for Arvid Söderblom during the second half of the season, or at least until Brossoit is ready to return. Söderblom wasn’t much better in his last start, allowing five goals to the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

In any baseball stadium, the locker room accommodations aren’t perfect for a hockey team coming in for a couple days. But Wrigley Field proved to be extra challenging for the visiting Blues, and one player in particular.

To get from the rink area to the Blues’ locker room, the players walked on their skates through the dugout and up a significant number of stairs. They did this before the game, during intermissions and, of course, after the final horn.

Well, after the first period of Tuesday’s game, TNT cameras caught Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko taking one frightening step at a time as he made his way down the stairs and back to the ice.

Toropchenko’s cautious approach may have generated some chuckles from those who saw the video, but he can say that he safely finished the game without snapping any ankles.

Connor Bedard has been the face of the Winter Classic since it was first announced 11 months ago. He’s been interviewed from inside the famous center field scoreboard, he’s been taking batting practice with ex-Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, he’s been shooting tennis balls from the rooftops across the street, he’s been part of countless photo shoots and he was the center of attention during the last two days. And while Bedard doesn’t particularly love the added attention he gets, he certainly appreciated the opportunity the Blackhawks had at Wrigley Field.

“It’s an older building, and I find that stuff really cool, sports history,” he said. “It’s a great spot. I got to tour it a little bit and go around the room and stuff. … It’s fun we get to be here.”

Bedard’s the entire reason the Blackhawks were picked to host this game. He’s already one of the biggest names in the sport and one of the most marketable faces in the league. Following Monday’s practice and family skate, Bedard said the Winter Classic already was “one of the coolest experiences of my life so far, and the game hasn’t even started yet.”

Once it did start, though, the Blackhawks’ 19-year-old wunderkind wasn’t much of a factor. Aside from a sharp-angle rebound chance shortly before Dylan Holloway gave the Blues a 4-1 lead in the second period, Bedard was mostly quiet. He finished with just a secondary assist on a late power-play goal by Tyler Bertuzzi.

The Blues’ Zack Bolduc certainly had the hit of the game as he sent Taylor Hall into the bench.

Zack Bolduc just hit Taylor Hall into next year. #WinterClassic #stlblues pic.twitter.com/qgF7Nu8Byu

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 31, 2024

Moments before the Blackhawks officially dropped the puck, the teams’ captains — Nick Foligno and Brayden Schenn — participated in a ceremonial puck drop.

Of course, they were all smiles for that photo, but they were not smiling late in the second period.

After Fowler gave the Blues a 5-1 lead, Foligno and Schenn squared off on the ensuing faceoff.

With the Blues in the driver’s seat, Schenn probably didn’t need to request the fight, and he may have been second-guessing himself after Foligno landed a couple of haymakers, but that’s hockey.

Hockey. #stlblues #blackhawks pic.twitter.com/NIOnLJDgqp

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) January 1, 2025

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers acknowledged that Sunday’s game could be the last time he plays in the NFL. 

Rodgers was questioned by reporters whether the New York Jets’ season finale against the Miami Dolphins could be the last of his career, on Wednesday. 

“Yeah, of course,” Rodgers answered. 

Rodgers hasn’t made any final decision yet, but he says he will make one before the start of free agency in March. Rodgers is under contract with the Jets for next season, and is set to count for a $23 million cap hit. However, the Jets are also set to hire a new head coach and general manager in the offseason after Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, the regime that brought Rodgers to New York, were fired mid-season. 

“I’m just more resigned to the reality of the situation,” Rodgers admitted regarding the stakes of Sunday’s game. “I think there’s going to be change here, and if I’m [not] a part of the change, then I just want to make sure everybody knows I have nothing but gratitude for my time here.”

He added that he expects the new coach and general manager that are put in charge will make a quick decision regarding his future with the team.

“I don’t think we’re even going to get that far,” Rodgers said. “There’s going to be regime change here, at least with GM. Whatever they end up doing, I’m sure I’ll either get a call or have a conversation and go from there.”

Rodgers missed nearly his entire first season with the Jets last year after he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on the opening drive of the Jets’ Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills. This year, despite a full healthy season out of Rodgers, the Jets have gone 4-12. 

JAGUARS FAN HAS MESSAGE FOR OWNER SHAD KHAN AMID DISMAL 2024 SEASON

“I’m disappointed about the performance both myself and as a team but I’m really thankful for the opportunity. If I feel good coming back and they want to make another run at this, that would be fantastic, but I’m not naïve to the situation we’re in.”

The season has been physically taxing on Rodgers as well. After he was sacked four times against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, he became the most sacked quarterback in NFL history. He has been sacked 568 times in 247 career games – three more than Tom Brady, who was sacked 565 times in his career. Russell Wilson is right there as well, with 556 sacks.

The Jets quarterback has been sacked 37 times this season. He led the league twice in times sacked in his career – both when he was with the Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets smiles after defeating the New England Patriots in the game at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Still, Rodgers considers his last two years in New York the best of his life. 

“I mean gratitude, honestly. It’s been the best two years of my life,” Rodgers said. “That’s a perspective adjustment that happened at some point during the rehab process last year. Just the excitement, falling back in love with the game, getting to know these guys in here, getting to know the great men and women that work here. It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously, on the field has been short of expectations, no doubt. This game is more than just that. This game is about the relationships.”

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In an instant, Oregon’s dream of a perfect season vanished.

Throughout the lead-up to the Rose Bowl, Oregon coach Dan Lanning emphasized preparation at every opportunity. Yet, in the heavyweight rematch, his team took the punch to the mouth and never recovered, suffering a lopsided 41-21 loss.

“They clicked tonight, and we didn’t,” Lanning said. “I didn’t get our team prepared.”

“Clicking” on offense may be an understatement. The Buckeyes looked unstoppable.

Ohio State’s high-powered offense scored quickly and often, racking up 34 points by halftime. Oregon, on the other hand, struggled to sustain drives, scoring only once before the half and failing to get much going against Ohio State’s stifling defense.

It was a showcase of the Buckeyes’ talent. The Ducks’ talent helped them earn the No. 1 seed as the only undefeated team in the country, including an October victory over Ohio State. But in the biggest game of their season, “We didn’t have the ability to stop them,” Lanning said.

The Ducks’ difficulty performing at the level they had all season was frustrating for Lanning and his team.

Could it have been the nearly monthlong break between the Big Ten Championship and the Rose Bowl? Lanning dismissed that as an excuse, saying, “I thought our guys prepared well going in. Obviously, they had a better plan than us.”

Did Ohio State’s Ryan Day outcoach Lanning, who was hailed as a master strategist after his team edged the Buckeyes 32-31 in October?

“Coach Day and his staff have done an unbelievable job,” Lanning said. “We have to find ways to prepare ourselves for these moments better as a coaching staff.”

Or perhaps Ohio State was simply that much better and proved it.

“When you play a great team like Ohio State, you can’t not be clicking on all cylinders,” Lanning said.

Lanning said his team never gave up as it tried to mount a comeback.

“There wasn’t a second we stepped on the field where I felt our guys were disheartened,” he said.

This was especially true of quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Despite the seemingly insurmountable deficit and eight sacks, he popped right back up and searched for answers.

Just before halftime, Gabriel led the Ducks on a 75-yard scoring drive, capping it with a touchdown pass. He opened the second half with another 75-yard scoring drive.

Ultimately, he was outdueled by Will Howard, who ended Gabriel’s best chance at winning a national championship.

“Dillon did an unbelievable job there at the end of the half creating a spark for our team,” Lanning said. “It was this guy busting his tail.”

The clock ran out on the senior quarterback’s college career — an unceremonious end to a journey that took him across the nation to Central Florida and Oklahoma before he became a Heisman Trophy finalist after steering Oregon to a Big Ten title in its first season in the conference.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith points to Oregon safety Kobe Savage after scoring a touchdown during the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Ducks came up short of winning their first football championship, fumbling their best chance to overcome that hurdle since 2015, a season that also ended with a loss to Ohio State in the title game.

Will this loss serve as the fuel needed to drive them forward, building on the program’s success to win that elusive title? For now, the wounds are too fresh for Lanning and his crew.

“We’re probably not there yet,” Lanning said. “There’s disappointment. … Adversity happens in life. And we’re going to get an opportunity in life to continue to attack and move forward.”