Blues fans, are you ready for outdoor hockey in St. Louis?

It was a sunny day at Busch Stadium on Tuesday as the NHL unveiled the logo for its 2017 Bridegestone NHL Winter Classic outdoor game between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.

The heat didn’t temper the anticipation for the first outdoor NHL game in the history of St. Louis as representatives from both teams and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman were on hand for the event. The game is set for Jan. 2, 1017 and will be the league’s 19th game dating back to the 2003 Heritage Classic, which was hosted by the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s a perfect storm for the league with the natural rivalry of the Blues and Blackhawks combined with the 50th anniversary of the Blues franchise. Not to mention the storied history of the St. Louis Cardinals and their ability to bring top-notch events to Busch Stadium.

“It’s such a great rivalry and we are very close neighbors,” said Blues Chairman Tom Stillman, whose team beat the Blackhawks in an exciting first-round playoffs series last spring. “The games are always as intense as can be and probably even moreso after last spring, so it should be a lot of fun.

“Yes, there will be a lot of red Blackhawks jerseys in this stadium, but I think that will be fun. It’s like a big college game, a college football game with different sides. It will be a lot of fun.”

While the Blues’ Winter Classic uniform design has not been presented, Stillman provided a small clue as to what they might look like.

“Could be something old. Could be something blue,” he said. “I think everybody will like them and they will celebrate our 50-year history.”

Bettman also likes the chemistry between all the partners involved in the event.

“With the Blues celebrating their 50th anniversary, the League celebrating its 100th and with Busch Stadium wrapping up its 10th year of service to the St. Louis community,” Bettman said, “there will be plenty of history to commemorate and lots of excitement to anticipate as the Blues and Blackhawks resume a rivalry that has provided so many fantastic memories.”

Parayko grew up in Alberta, Canada and played college hockey in Alaska, so outdoor hockey is certainly nothing new for him.

“One year, I had an outdoor rink about a five-minute walk from my place,” he said of his hometown of St. Albert in Alberta. “One day I actually ended up skating home from the rink, so there’s lots of outdoor hockey. After school you’d bring your skates to school, and there was a rink right besides our school.”

Stillman said being out on the Busch Stadium infield helped him realize the dream of Winter Classic in St. Louis isn’t too far away.

“It starts to become a lot more real,” Stillman said. “We’ve seen mock ups of how (the rink) would look out here on a computer screen and it looks really great. But when you’re down here and you see the view of the Arch and everything, it becomes pretty real.”

Among the other dignitaries on hand for the event included St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, Blues Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, longtime Blues ambassador and former defenseman Bob Plager, former Blues and Blackhawks forward Jamal Mayers and Blackhawks Hall of Famer Denis Savard.

Bettman said seeing video footage from last season of Stillman and Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III showing such solidarity at a center-ice ceremony at Scottrade Center was particularly moving. That opening puck-drop ceremony took place in mid-January of this year just two days after the St. Louis Rams announced they were moving to Los Angeles.

The ceremony drew a long and loud standing ovation.

“It was clear that both teams were coming together on behalf of the city and their fan bases, and sports fans everywhere in St. Louis, to show their commitment to the city,” Bettman said. “At that particular point in time, they focused on how important it was to make that statement. Anybody watching would have appreciated the moment.”

Did that make Bettman’s decision to award St. Louis a Winter Classic outdoor game any easier?

“The decision really isn’t hard when we make it,” he said. “You want to be in a great city with great hockey fans and a great franchise and a great iconic venue ... you know that the two franchises can work together well. Then it’s always a question of timing and matchup. We had no hesitation in making the decision to come here.”

Another fun event connected to the event is the Winter Classic Alumni Game Dec. 31, also being played at Busch Stadium. The game will match alumni players from the Blues against the Blackhawks alumni.

Rosters haven’t been announced, but Hall of Famers Brett Hull, Bernie Federko, Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger will play for the Blues.

Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman also said a youth-hockey related FanFest will be held at Ballpark Village and Kid Rock wil be in concert Dec. 31 at Scottrade Center.

Zimmerman said priority for tickets to the Winter Classic will be given to Blues season ticket holders, Blackhawks season ticket holders, the NHL and its corporate sponsors and Cardinals season ticket holders. For more information on ticket sales, visit blues.nhl.com.

“It’s going to be very difficult for people who aren’t season ticket holder to access tickets,” Zimmerman said. “They’ll be limited or none. The demand is going to be exceptionally high. The Blues, control about half the (ticket) inventory. There are still opportunities for people to get involved by being part of our season ticket program. We have no other choice but to focus on that.”

Asked about complaints from non-season ticket holders being shut out of attending the event, Zimmerman understood their feelings.

“I wish this was a 100,000 seat stadium,” he said.

Also during the news conference the Blues and Stenger announced the Blues will be the anchor tenant of a new multi-surface ice rink facility being built in Creve Couer Park. The rink is scheduled to open in 2018.

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Blues fans, are you ready for outdoor hockey in St. Louis?."