Today is the first day of winter and another day closer to the Winter Classic.

That’s the New Year’s Day hockey came that the NHL will stage at Notre Dame Stadium.

The rink is now in place and the process of making two and a quarter inches of ice is underway.

“We don't have an open hose and flood it. We do it very fine layers at a time. We'll flood the ice probably between 200, 220 times between now and practice day,” said Mike Craig with NHL Facility Operations. “Well, making ice once we start we usually about an eight day process before we skate.”

The Chicago Black Hawks will take on the Boston Bruins January 1st at 1:00 p.m.

The rock group Weezer will play after the first intermission.