With the beautiful St. Louis skyline on the horizon, Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III and Blues owner Tom Stillman grabbed a pair of hockey sticks and settled in at Busch Stadium's home plate.
Then NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stood between them Tuesday morning to drop the puck for a ceremonial faceoff. About 90 feet up the right-field line, 90 feet up the left-field line and along the grass in front of second base, the outline of a hockey rink was built to show where the Blues and Blackhawks will play the 2017 Winter Classic.
The weather was hot and muggy, but you didn't need much imagination to envision what should be a glorious day of outdoor hockey on Jan. 2 between the Blues and their heated rivals.
The Blues are coming off their most successful season in 15 years, moving within two victories of the Stanley Cup Finals. And the Cardinals are the Cardinals, one of the most successful and respected franchises in all of sports.
We can sit here and dwell on the franchise that Stan Kroenke took to Los Angeles or we can embrace and celebrate the greatness already here. The Winter Classic is a testament to St. Louis' rich and strong hockey community.
It also represents the strong bond between the Cardinals and Blues organizations.
They are St. Louis, and they'll combine to showcase Busch Stadium to the hockey world.
"I think the closest comparison you can make is the baseball All-Star Game, which we had in 2009," DeWitt III said. "It brings so many people together not only from a fan's standpoint but from a planning standpoint. All the officials of the city work out their roles and responsibilities.
"And it develops that camaraderie that you need for an organization to do all the things it does on an annual basis and on a regular basis. I like how it brings people together that way."
Bettman praised Stillman's ownership for its stewardship of the Blues. He also had hosannas for the Blues' alumni's history of remaining in the city and eventually helping to develop the next wave of hockey stars.
Among the record 12 U.S. born players drafted in the first round of this June's NHL draft, five of them grew up in the St. Louis area. That stat may be the most telling sign that we are living in one of America's great Hockey/Baseball towns. Greater St. Louis has 25 indoor rinks, Bettman noted.
"Against this backdrop, we're delighted that the NHL will bring a showcase event to the people of St. Louis, who are great sports fans," Bettman said. "This will provide an important affirmation of the deep connection among a great city, our great sports, great fans and the tremendous rivalries of these two teams.
"With the Blues celebrating their 50th anniversary, the league celebrating its 100th anniversary and with Busch Stadium (III) wrapping up its 10th year ... there will be plenty of history to commemorate."
Stillman's ownership group has given St. Louis five consecutive playoff runs while consistently pushing the payroll to the edge of the salary cap, even while losing money at times.
Fans appear to have been energized by the latest playoff run. The Blues' season-ticket base has seen a substantial increase since they bounced the Blackhawks and Stars in the playoffs before pushing the Sharks to six games in the Western Conference finals.
"We have had a good reaction to last year's playoff run and to the Winter Classic," Stillman said. "We are up substantially on season tickets, suites, sponsorships. Those sort of measures are very positive."
Equally important, Cardinals and Blues fans should look to their rival Chicago Cubs and Blackhawks to understand just how important the Winter Classic can be to a franchise.
This is more than just a special hockey game. It's essentially a marquee event of national significance, as Stillman and DeWitt III correctly state.
"In 2009 when we had the opportunity at Wrigley Field our season-ticket base went from 3,400 to 14,000," Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough said. "That was a bit of an indication that our franchise was on the way back."
Since playing in the second Winter Classic, the Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cup Finals. It's impossible to determine a cause and effect. Perhaps it's even silly to try, but there's no denying that a healthy season-ticket base helps teams invest in their franchises.
St. Louis loves its winners, which is why the Cardinals are second only to the Dodgers in attendance this year with an average of 43,041 heading into Tuesday night. The Blackhawks led the NHL in attendance last year while the Blues were 13th out of 30 teams with an average crowd of 18,450.
Now, Blues and Cardinals fans will be rewarded with outdoor hockey at Busch Stadium.
"What a great way to celebrate 100 years of NHL hockey," Bettman said. "Playing in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, which honors the westward expansion of the United States, the Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks will help commemorate the expansion westward of the National Hockey League.
"Remarkably, until 1967 the league reached no further west than Chicago. The growth of the league will be showcased on Jan. 2 by two teams from neighboring states, the Blackhawks from the original six and the Blues from the second six."
