We're now just 26 days away from the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic that will go down in Chicago on February 17th, and organizers have started to prepare Soldier Field for a hockey rink to be built in the middle of the Bears football field.
The video above is a time-lapse of the beginning stages of how the rink will be constructed.
The event taking place on February 17th will feature a double-header of college hockey action. CCHA rivals Miami and Notre Dame will face off in the opener, while Wisconsin and Minnesota are featured in the finale.
The game between Minnesota and Wisconsin will mark their final regular season battle as members of the WCHA. Starting in 2013-14, Wisconsin and Minnesota will join Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in the Big Ten Hockey Conference.
Wisconsin will wear throwback uniforms for the outdoor game. The alternate uniforms are reproductions of those worn by Wisconsin's 1931-32 team. Inside the collar of the uniforms are the words, "It's a great day for hockey." Hemmed into the bottom of each is the date of the game and the teams participating, along with the logo featured outside of Soldier Field.
The OfficeMax Hockey City Classic marks the third time in eight seasons the Wisconsin hockey program will play one of its games outdoors. The Badgers defeated Ohio State, 4-2, in the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic at Lambeau Field in 2006 and beat Michigan, 3-2, at the Culver’s Camp Randall Hockey Classic in 2010.
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