The 2027 NHL Winter Classic is on Thursday, 31 December 2026, when the Utah Mammoth host the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City at 6 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. local time. When the puck drops, all 32 NHL franchises will have played an outdoor game: Utah was the last one left.
| 2027 Winter Classic at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Event | 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic, the 18th edition |
| Date | Thursday, 31 December 2026 |
| Puck drop | 6 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. MT |
| Venue | Rice-Eccles Stadium, University of Utah, Salt Lake City |
| Teams | Colorado Avalanche at Utah Mammoth |
| TV, United States | TNT |
| TV, Canada | Sportsnet |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster, on sale since 16 June 2026 |
| Jerseys | Not yet revealed |
When is the 2027 Winter Classic?
Thursday, 31 December 2026, New Year’s Eve. The game carries the 2027 name because the Winter Classic is named for the New Year’s Day it belongs to, even when it is played the day before.
What time does the 2027 Winter Classic start?
At 6 p.m. ET, which is 4 p.m. in Salt Lake City, 5 p.m. CT and 3 p.m. PT. The NHL’s national TV schedule lists the 6 p.m. ET start, and the stadium gives the same time locally. A late-afternoon start in the mountains in December means the game will finish under the lights.
Who is playing in the 2027 Winter Classic?
The Colorado Avalanche visit the Utah Mammoth. It is Utah’s first outdoor game of any kind, in the franchise’s third season. Going into the 2025-26 season, Utah and the Florida Panthers were the only franchises that had never played outdoors, and Florida’s turn came at the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami.
For Colorado, it is a fourth outdoor game but a first Winter Classic, and the first time the Avalanche play outdoors as the visiting team.
| Date | Event | Venue | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 2016 | Stadium Series | Coors Field, Denver | Detroit | Lost 5-3 |
| 15 Feb 2020 | Stadium Series | Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs | Los Angeles | Lost 3-1 |
| 20 Feb 2021 | NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe | Edgewood Tahoe | Vegas | Won 3-2 |
Colorado’s outdoor record is 1-2-0. Nathan MacKinnon had three points in the Tahoe win. Channels for both teams’ other games are in our guides to how to watch the Utah Mammoth and how to watch the Colorado Avalanche.
Where is the 2027 Winter Classic?
At Rice-Eccles Stadium, the University of Utah’s football stadium in Salt Lake City. It seats more than 54,000 for football. The NHL has not announced a capacity for the hockey configuration. The University of Utah’s event page points fans to the TRAX Red Line, which stops directly in front of the stadium.
At roughly 4,600 feet above sea level, it is the highest-altitude Winter Classic yet. Every previous edition was played at low elevation.
What channel is the 2027 Winter Classic on?
TNT in the United States, which streams its games on HBO Max, and Sportsnet in Canada. The NHL lists the game as exclusive to TNT Sports in the United States.
Why is the Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve?
Because of college football. The expanded College Football Playoff took over New Year’s Day, and the NHL moved the Winter Classic out of its way. The 2027 game is the second played on 31 December: the first was the 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on 31 December 2024. Mammoth owner Ryan Smith has said the club plans a concert and a New Year’s ball drop around the game.
How much are 2027 Winter Classic tickets?
Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. MT on 16 June 2026 through Ticketmaster, the official seller, on a first-come, first-served basis. The NHL has not published a face-value range, and it has not said whether the game is sold out.
What jerseys will the Mammoth and Avalanche wear?
The 2027 Winter Classic jerseys have not been revealed. For the 2026 game, Florida’s and the Rangers’ jerseys were unveiled on 19 November 2025, about six weeks before the game, suggesting a reveal in mid-to-late November 2026.
What will the weather be like for the 2027 Winter Classic?
A forecast becomes useful about ten days before the game, and this guide will be updated then. Until that point, the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City climate book has the city’s December records. The coldest Winter Classic on record was played in Minneapolis in 2022, at minus 5.7°F at puck drop.
Who has won every NHL Winter Classic?
Seventeen Winter Classics have been played. Two were canceled, in 2013 because of the lockout and in 2021 because of COVID-19, and both matchups were later restaged.
| Year | Date | Venue | Matchup | Score | Winner | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 Jan 2008 | Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park | Pittsburgh at Buffalo | 2-1 (SO) | Pittsburgh | 71,217 |
| 2009 | 1 Jan 2009 | Wrigley Field, Chicago | Detroit at Chicago | 6-4 | Detroit | 40,818 |
| 2010 | 1 Jan 2010 | Fenway Park, Boston | Philadelphia at Boston | 2-1 (OT) | Boston | 38,112 |
| 2011 | 1 Jan 2011 | Heinz Field, Pittsburgh | Washington at Pittsburgh | 3-1 | Washington | 68,111 |
| 2012 | 2 Jan 2012 | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | NY Rangers at Philadelphia | 3-2 | NY Rangers | 46,967 |
| 2014 | 1 Jan 2014 | Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor | Toronto at Detroit | 3-2 (SO) | Toronto | 105,491 |
| 2015 | 1 Jan 2015 | Nationals Park, Washington | Chicago at Washington | 3-2 | Washington | 42,832 |
| 2016 | 1 Jan 2016 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough | Montreal at Boston | 5-1 | Montreal | 67,246 |
| 2017 | 2 Jan 2017 | Busch Stadium, St. Louis | Chicago at St. Louis | 4-1 | St. Louis | 46,556 |
| 2018 | 1 Jan 2018 | Citi Field, New York | NY Rangers at Buffalo | 3-2 (OT) | NY Rangers | 41,821 |
| 2019 | 1 Jan 2019 | Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend | Boston at Chicago | 4-2 | Boston | 76,126 |
| 2020 | 1 Jan 2020 | Cotton Bowl, Dallas | Nashville at Dallas | 4-2 | Dallas | 85,630 |
| 2022 | 1 Jan 2022 | Target Field, Minneapolis | St. Louis at Minnesota | 6-4 | St. Louis | 38,619 |
| 2023 | 2 Jan 2023 | Fenway Park, Boston | Pittsburgh at Boston | 2-1 | Boston | 39,243 |
| 2024 | 1 Jan 2024 | T-Mobile Park, Seattle | Vegas at Seattle | 3-0 | Seattle | 47,313 |
| 2025 | 31 Dec 2024 | Wrigley Field, Chicago | St. Louis at Chicago | 6-2 | St. Louis | 40,933 |
| 2026 | 2 Jan 2026 | loanDepot park, Miami | NY Rangers at Florida | 5-1 | NY Rangers | 36,153 |
The home team has won only six of the 17 Winter Classics. Utah is the home team.
The 2026-27 season has two other outdoor games: the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg on 25 October and the Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on 20 February, where the Dallas Stars host Vegas.
Which team has the most Winter Classic wins?
Three teams share the record with three wins each: Boston, the New York Rangers and St. Louis. The Rangers and the Blues have never lost one. Chicago has played in the most, five, and lost all five.
- Biggest crowd: 105,491 at Michigan Stadium in 2014, Toronto over Detroit. It is still the largest attendance at any NHL outdoor game.
- Smallest crowd: 36,153 in Miami in 2026.
- Coldest game: minus 5.7°F at puck drop at Target Field in Minneapolis, 1 January 2022.
- First hat trick: Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers, 2 January 2026, in the 17th Winter Classic.
- First shutout: Joey Daccord of Seattle, 3-0 over Vegas in 2024.
Updated 25 September 2026: start time and broadcasters confirmed from the NHL’s national TV schedule, ticket details from the NHL’s on-sale announcement.
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