The ball was dropped on the NHL's experiment to stage the Winter Classic on New Year's Eve. Tuesday's game between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks in the open air at Wrigley Field garnered the worst viewership ratings in the 17-year history of the annual event,

Only 920,000 viewers watched the Hawks' blowout loss on Tuesday on TNT and TruTV, according to Sports Media Watch.

The St. Louis Blues' 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field marked the 16th edition of the Winter Classic. Even when returning to previously used venues, the Classic continues to grow and change every season.

Nearly 16 years after it first hosted the game, Wrigley Field welcomes back the NHL Winter Classic this week as the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues.

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard didn’t have an answer for it, the Chicago Blackhawks center as frustrated as anyone at their performance on the NHL’s national stage. “It (stinks), man,” he said after the Blackhawks lost 6-2 to the St. Louis Blues at the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

There were several other factors that likely affected viewership. The game featured two of the league's lower-tier teams (in fact the Blackhawks have the NHL's worst record), it was a blowout — the Blues won 6-2 — and the event had been played at Wrigley before so that novelty factor was gone.

Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks was the 15th edition of the annual outdoor game held by the NHL. While the event is always a joyous occasion for the host city, the game between the Blues and Blackhawks caught the fewest number of eyes in its history.