CHICAGO — Wrigley Field has housed ski jumping and rodeos, harbored the Harlem Globetrotters and the Chicago Bears, and even heard Jimmy Buffett and The Police.
For 94 years, hockey never took the stage. That drought will end on New Year's Day.
"Wrigley Field is a baseball field of dreams," NBC Sports producer Sam Flood said. "For the hockey guys, they get to take it over.
"We're in a venue that's a perfect place for a hockey game."
The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, longtime rivals and two of the original six National Hockey League franchises, will meet in the league's third outdoor regular-season game and Wrigley's first hockey contest. NBC will televise the Winter Classic, which will start at noon CT.
The event has been months in the making. Wrigley Field beat out the old Yankee Stadium last summer for the right to be the first baseball stadium to hold an NHL game. Organizers have spent the last couple weeks preparing the ballpark.
A portable 200-by-85-foot rink was driven in from Mobile, Ala. It sits between first and third base, 112 feet from home plate and 288 feet from the center-field wall, according to NHL.com.
Those attending will notice a smaller second rink covering the outfield behind the main rink and team benches. This 60-by-56 foot auxiliary rink will be used by the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois during the game.
The NHL also made on-deck-circle logos for both teams, and the players will emerge from the dugouts before the game, mixing in some baseball feel. The league has recreated the famous green outfield ivy and added temporary video replay boards, too.
Nearly one-quarter of a million people entered a lottery for a chance to buy up the 40,000 tickets for this unique event. Those who missed out on attending still can get a taste of it on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, when the corner of Waveland and Clark outside Wrigley will be transformed into a free fan fest. The entertainment plans include live music, hockey-themed attractions, ice sculpting and prizes.
The two previous outdoor NHL games were held on football fields. On Jan. 1, 2008, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, in the first Winter Classic. On Nov. 22, 2003, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium, primarily a Canadian Football League venue, where temperatures shivered in the negative 20s.
For Chicago, early prognostications are calling for a game-day high temperature in the mid-20s and a decent chance of snow showers. The coldest Cubs game at Wrigley since 1991, when teams started recording temperatures, was on April 8, 1997, when it was 29 degrees when they played the Marlins.
In the Windy City, a fair forecast quickly can turn brutal. The NHL doesn't have any contingency plans yet, so both teams better be ready for the worst.
"It's a lot easier to play when it's not minus 20," said Red Wings goalie Ty Conklin, the only player to suit up for all three outdoor games. "It could be 35 degrees, nice and sunny day, or it could be minus 10 and the wind could be blowing 20 miles an hour."
Regardless of the weather, it's sure to be a spectacle. Former Blackhawks player Ed Olczyk, who is part of the NBC broadcast crew, is a native Chicagoan who grew up a die-hard Cubs fan. He twice has been a guest conductor of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley.
"To be able to be at the game at Wrigley Field, I'm so envious and jealous of the guys that get that opportunity to play in that game in arguably the greatest sports venue there has ever been," Olczyk said.
NBC's acclaimed broadcast host Bob Costas also will be on hand for the game. The baseball enthusiast boasts a bit of Wrigley history, having covered "The Sandberg Game" on June 23, 1984.
"Let's say for the sake of argument that the Blackhawks went on to the Stanley Cup Finals, having played a game at Wrigley," Costas said. "Then they've done better than any team that played at Wrigley since 1945."
Speaking of Wrigley history, here's a list of notable non-baseball events held since the ballpark opened in 1914, courtesy of Cubs historian Ed Hartig:
1915: Wrigley, then known as Weeghman Park, held "first-class hippodrome acts" at night after Chicago Whales baseball games in the short-lived Federal League. Admission charges ranged from 10 to 30 cents. Performers included "The Five Juggling Normans."
1921-70: The Chicago Staleys/Bears called Wrigley home for 50 years before moving to Soldier Field. Gridiron greats who laced it up at the Friendly Confines included Sid Luckman, Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers. Owner and coach George S. Halas helped lead the Bears to 39 winning seasons at Wrigley.
May 17, 1943: The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League used the ballpark for tryouts, as made famous in the movie "A League of Their Own."
January 1944: Ski-jumping competitions were held at Wrigley. Today, Olympic ski jumpers fly more than 700 feet. In 1944, on a smaller hill, the longest jumps were just past 100 feet.
Sept. 12, 1946: Jake LaMotta, "The Raging Bull," knocked out Bob Satterfield in the seventh round of a light-heavyweight boxing match. Several bouts took place at the park during the first half of the 20th century.
1946-52: Wrigley housed various rodeos and circus acts.
Aug. 21, 1954: The Harlem Globetrotters brought basketball to Wrigley, defeating the US Stars, 57-51, under portable lights.
1978-84: The Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League was the final non-baseball major team to host games at Wrigley, playing 39 times.
Sept. 4-5, 2005: Buffett performed two concerts over Labor Day weekend.
July 5-6, 2007: The Police played twice in front of crowds of 40,000.