The NHL has played 45 outdoor games. The largest crowd was 105,491 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on 1 January 2014, when Toronto beat Detroit in a shootout, and that figure has stood ever since. The second-largest is 10,740 fewer.
Two of the 45 were played in front of nobody. Both Lake Tahoe games in February 2021 were closed to spectators under COVID-19 protocols, which makes them the only NHL outdoor games with no attendance figure to report. Across the 43 games with fans, 2,340,838 people have watched NHL hockey outdoors, an average of 54,438 per game. Only eight of the 45 drew more than 70,000.
Every NHL outdoor game, ranked by attendance
Through the end of the 2025-26 season. The first NHL outdoor game was the Heritage Classic in Edmonton in 2003.
| # | Attendance | Date | Venue | Series | Matchup | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 105,491 | 1 Jan 2014 | Michigan Stadium | Winter Classic | Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings | 3-2 (SO) |
| 2 | 94,751 | 1 Mar 2025 | Ohio Stadium | Stadium Series | Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets | 5-3 |
| 3 | 85,630 | 1 Jan 2020 | Cotton Bowl | Winter Classic | Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars | 4-2 |
| 4 | 79,690 | 18 Feb 2024 | MetLife Stadium | Stadium Series | New York Rangers at New York Islanders | 6-5 (OT) |
| 5 | 76,126 | 1 Jan 2019 | Notre Dame Stadium | Winter Classic | Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 |
| 6 | 71,217 | 1 Jan 2008 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Winter Classic | Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres | 2-1 (SO) |
| 7 | 70,328 | 17 Feb 2024 | MetLife Stadium | Stadium Series | Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils | 6-3 |
| 8 | 70,205 | 21 Feb 2015 | Levi’s Stadium | Stadium Series | Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks | 2-1 |
| 9 | 69,620 | 23 Feb 2019 | Lincoln Financial Field | Stadium Series | Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers | 4-3 (OT) |
| 10 | 68,619 | 26 Feb 2022 | Nissan Stadium | Stadium Series | Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators | 3-2 |
| 11 | 68,111 | 1 Jan 2011 | Heinz Field | Winter Classic | Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins | 3-1 |
| 12 | 67,318 | 25 Feb 2017 | Heinz Field | Stadium Series | Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 |
| 13 | 67,246 | 1 Jan 2016 | Gillette Stadium | Winter Classic | Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins | 5-1 |
| 14 | 64,617 | 1 Feb 2026 | Raymond James Stadium | Stadium Series | Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning | 6-5 (SO) |
| 15 | 62,921 | 1 Mar 2014 | Soldier Field | Stadium Series | Pittsburgh Penguins at Chicago Blackhawks | 5-1 |
| 16 | 57,167 | 22 Nov 2003 | Commonwealth Stadium | Heritage Classic | Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton Oilers | 4-3 |
| 17 | 56,961 | 18 Feb 2023 | Carter-Finley Stadium | Stadium Series | Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes | 4-1 |
| 18 | 55,411 | 29 Oct 2023 | Commonwealth Stadium | Heritage Classic | Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers | 5-2 |
| 19 | 54,194 | 2 Mar 2014 | BC Place | Heritage Classic | Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks | 4-2 |
| 20 | 54,099 | 25 Jan 2014 | Dodger Stadium | Stadium Series | Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings | 3-0 |
| 21 | 50,426 | 21 Feb 2016 | TCF Bank Stadium | Stadium Series | Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild | 6-1 |
| 22 | 50,105 | 26 Jan 2014 | Yankee Stadium | Stadium Series | New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils | 7-3 |
| 23 | 50,095 | 27 Feb 2016 | Coors Field | Stadium Series | Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche | 5-3 |
| 24 | 50,027 | 29 Jan 2014 | Yankee Stadium | Stadium Series | New York Rangers at New York Islanders | 2-1 |
| 25 | 47,313 | 1 Jan 2024 | T-Mobile Park | Winter Classic | Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken | 3-0 |
| 26 | 46,967 | 2 Jan 2012 | Citizens Bank Park | Winter Classic | New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers | 3-2 |
| 27 | 46,556 | 2 Jan 2017 | Busch Stadium | Winter Classic | Chicago Blackhawks at St. Louis Blues | 4-1 |
| 28 | 43,574 | 15 Feb 2020 | Falcon Stadium | Stadium Series | Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche | 3-1 |
| 29 | 42,832 | 1 Jan 2015 | Nationals Park | Winter Classic | Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals | 3-2 |
| 30 | 41,821 | 1 Jan 2018 | Citi Field | Winter Classic | New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres | 3-2 (OT) |
| 31 | 41,022 | 20 Feb 2011 | McMahon Stadium | Heritage Classic | Montreal Canadiens at Calgary Flames | 4-0 |
| 32 | 40,933 | 31 Dec 2024 | Wrigley Field | Winter Classic | St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks | 6-2 |
| 33 | 40,818 | 1 Jan 2009 | Wrigley Field | Winter Classic | Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks | 6-4 |
| 34 | 40,148 | 1 Jan 2017 | BMO Field | Centennial Classic | Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs | 5-4 (OT) |
| 35 | 39,243 | 2 Jan 2023 | Fenway Park | Winter Classic | Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins | 2-1 |
| 36 | 38,619 | 1 Jan 2022 | Target Field | Winter Classic | St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild | 6-4 |
| 37 | 38,112 | 1 Jan 2010 | Fenway Park | Winter Classic | Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins | 2-1 (OT) |
| 38 | 36,153 | 2 Jan 2026 | loanDepot park | Winter Classic | New York Rangers at Florida Panthers | 5-1 |
| 39 | 33,959 | 16 Dec 2017 | TD Place Stadium | NHL100 Classic | Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators | 3-0 |
| 40 | 33,518 | 26 Oct 2019 | Mosaic Stadium | Heritage Classic | Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets | 2-1 (OT) |
| 41 | 33,240 | 23 Oct 2016 | Investors Group Field | Heritage Classic | Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets | 3-0 |
| 42 | 29,516 | 3 Mar 2018 | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Stadium Series | Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals | 5-2 |
| 43 | 26,119 | 13 Mar 2022 | Tim Hortons Field | Heritage Classic | Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres | 5-2 |
| 44 | No fans | 20 Feb 2021 | Edgewood Tahoe Resort | Lake Tahoe | Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche | 3-2 |
| 45 | No fans | 21 Feb 2021 | Edgewood Tahoe Resort | Lake Tahoe | Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins | 7-3 |
How many outdoor games has the NHL played?
45, across six different event names. The Winter Classic and the Stadium Series account for 17 games each, the Heritage Classic for seven, Lake Tahoe for two, and the Centennial Classic and the NHL100 Classic for one apiece, both played in 2017. Two further Winter Classics were scheduled and never played: the 2013 edition was canceled by the lockout and the 2021 edition by COVID-19. Both matchups were restaged later at the same venues, which is why Detroit against Toronto at Michigan Stadium appears in 2014 rather than 2013. The league’s own count confirms the total, having numbered the 2026 Stadium Series game in Tampa as the 45th.
What is the biggest crowd for an NHL outdoor game?
105,491, at Michigan Stadium on 1 January 2014. Toronto beat Detroit 3-2 in a shootout in a snowstorm, in a game the teams agreed to play with a mid-overtime switch of ends because the wind favored one direction. It is the largest crowd ever to watch an NHL game in any setting, indoors or out, and the league still lists it as the record. The closest anything has come since is 94,751 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on 1 March 2025. Eight games have passed 70,000, and only this one has passed 100,000.
Which NHL outdoor game had the smallest crowd?
Leaving aside the two Lake Tahoe games, which had no spectators at all, the smallest was 26,119 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on 13 March 2022, for the Heritage Classic between Buffalo and Toronto. The reason is the building, not the demand.
Tim Hortons Field is a Canadian Football League stadium seating roughly 23,000 for football, the smallest venue the NHL has used outdoors, and the game sold out. It finished within about 200 of the stadium’s all-time attendance record for any event. Hamilton was chosen as a neutral point between the two cities.
Which NHL team has played the most outdoor games?
Chicago, with seven, and the Blackhawks have lost six of them. That is both the most appearances and the most losses of any franchise. Boston, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh follow with six each. The Rangers are the opposite case in every respect: six games, six wins, and not once as the home team. Eight franchises have played exactly one. Utah has never played one at all and is the last franchise left, which changes at the 2027 Winter Classic.
Which NHL outdoor games are scheduled for 2026-27?
Three, which is one more than the 2025-26 season had. The Heritage Classic comes first, on 25 October 2026 in Winnipeg, where the Jets host Montreal. The Winter Classic follows on 31 December 2026 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, where the Utah Mammoth host Colorado on New Year’s Eve, and our guide to the 2027 Winter Classic has the start time and channels.
The Stadium Series closes the set on 20 February 2027 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where Dallas hosts Vegas. Channels for all three home teams are in our guides to how to watch the Winnipeg Jets, how to watch the Utah Mammoth and how to watch the Dallas Stars.
Was the 1991 game in Las Vegas an NHL outdoor game?
Not by the league’s own count. On 27 September 1991 the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 5-2 on a rink built in the parking lot of Caesars Palace, in front of 13,007 people, at about 85°F rising through the game, with grasshoppers landing on the ice.
It was a preseason exhibition, and the NHL counts only regular-season outdoor games, which is why the league’s numbering makes the 2003 Heritage Classic the first and Tampa in 2026 the 45th. Several reference sites describe the Las Vegas game as the first official outdoor NHL game. It was the first time two NHL clubs played outdoors, which is a different claim.
What was the coldest NHL outdoor game?
The 2022 Winter Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis, at minus 6°F at puck drop, which is minus 21°C. That is the league record, measured as air temperature. The 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton is often called the coldest and felt colder, with wind chill near minus 30°C, but its air temperature was higher.
The two measures are worth keeping apart. At the other end, the warmest was 65°F at Coors Field in Denver in 2016, and the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami at 63.1°F is the warmest Winter Classic played. The National Weather Service publishes the climate records for Salt Lake City, which hosts the next one.
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