The biggest New Year’s Eve party in Utah will feature the Colorado Avalanche.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Friday that the Winter Classic next season will be on Dec. 31, not on one of the first two days of January. The Avs will play the Utah Mammoth at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium.
This is the 18th edition of the Winter Classic, the NHL’s signature regular-season event. It will be the second time the game is played on New Year’s Eve — the St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field on Dec. 31, 2024.
Bettman made the announcement in Salt Lake City just before the first home Stanley Cup Playoffs game in the Mammoth’s brief history.
Colorado has previously played in three outdoor games. The first two were part of the NHL’s Stadium Series, first at Coors Field in 2016 against the rival Red Wings and next at Air Force’s Falcon Stadium in 2020 against the Kings. The Avs also played the Golden Knights at Edgewood Tahoe Resort for the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe in 2021. Colorado is 1-2-0 in outdoor games.
The game will be the 47th NHL regular-season outdoor game and the first for Utah, the only franchise that has yet to play in one. The NHL expects a crowd of over 50,000 for the 2027 Winter Classic; Rice-Eccles Stadium holds 51,444.
The Winter Classic was first played in 2008 when the Sabres hosted the Penguins at the Bills’ stadium.
The other outdoor game announced for next season will be a Stadium Series game hosted by the Dallas Stars at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 20, 2027. The Stars’ opponent is yet to be announced.
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