NHL Winter Classic

Last Updated: 20 january 2026

About the NHL Winter Classic

The NHL Winter Classic is an NHL regular season game. It takes place annually in early January outdoors.

Official NHL website

2027 NHL Winter Classic: What’s Known So Far

The NHL Winter Classic is a special regular season game held outdoors and is considered one of the most spectacular events on the hockey calendar.

When will the game be held?

The exact date has not yet been announced. The Winter Classic is typically held in late December or early January, close to the New Year. The league will announce the official game date later.

Where will the game be played?

The game will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, at Rice-Eccles Stadium. This is a large soccer stadium that has been specially adapted for hockey.

Who will play?

The following teams will participate in the 2027 NHL Winter Classic:

Utah Mammoth – home team

Colorado Avalanche – away team

This will be the first outdoor game in the history of the Utah club’s franchise.

Why is this match special?

• The Winter Classic is one of the most popular NHL formats.
• The game will be held in an outdoor arena under winter conditions.
• This will be the Utah team’s debut in this format.
• The match will attract tens of thousands of spectators in the stands and millions watching on television.

History of the games

The history of friendly games between hockey clubs began in 1991. Back then, the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers played their first friendly outdoors.

After a while, NHL management decided to play one regular season game outdoors in early January. As part of the Winter Classic, the first game was played on 1 January 2008 between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. More than 70,000 fans attended that game.

One of the stadiums that host regular hockey games is the Michigan Stadium (also called The Big House). This stadium holds the world record for hockey game capacity with 104,173 spectators.

The 2023 match is known for the lowest temperature in the history of such matches. Because of the severe frost, the ice had to be specially heated. The match took place in Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA).

Results of the previous games

2028 NHL Winter Classic

The 2028 NHL Winter Classic match will traditionally take place in January. The location and participating teams are currently unknown.

Keep an eye on the dates of the NHL Winter Classic and other events on our Sports Events Calendar.