Rain threatens to wreak havoc on Winter Classic

RALEIGH, N.C. — Ask Joel Quenneville any hypothetical question — whether it’s about a player fitting into a new role, or a lineup decision, or a contract situation — and he’ll usually respond with, “Tough to forecast.”

This time, he meant it literally.

It’s expected to rain in St. Louis on Monday, possibly hard and possibly all day, depending on which weather service you check, putting the Winter Classic between the Blackhawks and the Blues in jeopardy. NBC Sports president Jon Miller told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the game, to be held at Busch Stadium, could even be moved to Tuesday.

“I think everybody’s kind of keeping an eye on that, but, like I say, it’s tough to forecast that,” Quenneville said. “Well see what happens.”

It wouldn’t be the first time the weather played a role in one of the Hawks’ outdoor games. It was too sunny during the 2015 Winter Classic at Nationals Park in Washington, with Niklas Hjalmarsson saying afterward that the game should have been delayed because the glare off the ice was too harsh, making it unsafe for the players. And in the 2014 Stadium Series game at Soldier Field, it was bitterly cold and snowing.

“We’ve played in all kinds of different settings,” Quenneville said. “The one that was very memorable was at Soldier Field, playing in that snow, and it was cold. It was a special night and it was a great feeling.”

But you can play in the cold and you can play in snow. You can’t play in rain. The good news is the game is scheduled for noon, so the game could still be played in the evening after a lengthy delay, as the Penguins and Capitals did in the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field. Both the Blues and Hawks have Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 off, so the game can even be pushed back, if necessary.

Hossa update

Marian Hossa will join the Hawks in St. Louis. Whether he plays or not is still up in the air. When asked if he expected Hossa to play, Quenneville said, “Expect? I would say between expect and hopeful is probably where I’m at.”

Hossa has not yet returned to the ice since suffering an upper-body injury on Dec. 20 against Ottawa. He has missed four straight games.

Roster report

Brian Campbell drew back into the lineup Friday against Carolina after having his streak of 423 consecutive regular-season games broken Thursday night in Nashville. Rookie Gustav Forsling was again a healthy scratch.

“We’ve got eight defensemen who can all play, all can play meaningful minutes,” Quenneville said. “It’s a work in progress every game, figuring out who’s going to play with who. Four guys have missed games [despite being] healthy. We’ll see how it plays out.”

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