WA-WJC-TalentGapClosing_ Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, recently hosted the Winter Classic [https://www.nhl.com/events/2024-25-nhl-winter-classic] on New Year's Eve. Like every outdoor event the NHL now runs, other teams got to skate on the rink setup before it's taken down. On Saturday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes [https://x.com/OhioStateWHKY] women's team played the Wisconsin Badgers at the ballpark, winning their game 4-3 in a shootout [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/college/ohio-state-earns-shootout-win-at-wrigley-field] in the first-ever women's hockey game at Wrigley. This day was even more memorable because the entire Buckeyes team wore Johnny Gaudreau [https://www.nhl.com/player/johnny-gaudreau-8476346] Columbus Blue Jackets jerseys when they rolled into Wrigley Field. Unlike the NHL Winter Classic, where the St. Louis Blue defeated the hometown Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 [https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-stl/2024/12/31/2024020592], the Buckeyes needed a shootout to beat the Badgers in front of 50,497 fans. Even though it's been five months since the hockey world lost the Gaudreau brothers, teams and players continue to find new ways to honor Johnny and Matthew. Another example is Team USA at the World Juniors in Ottawa, which had an empty stall for Johnny. Considering how tight-knit the hockey community is, these two recent tributes [https://www.nhl.com/news/calgary-flames-columbus-blue-jackets-honor-johnny-gaudreau-with-pregame-tribute] will only be one of many to come as teams and players continue to honor the Gaudreau family and their contributions to the game. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNDI4NzY0NzEyNzA3MjMx/thncgybanner-bookmark.png]
