Winter Classic

The NHL Winter Classic is the league’s flagship outdoor game, played once a season around New Year in a large baseball or football stadium. The first Winter Classic was held on 1 January 2008 in Buffalo, and the 2014 edition at Michigan Stadium drew 105,491 people, still the NHL attendance record. The 2027 Winter Classic is on 31 December 2026 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, where the Utah Mammoth host the Colorado Avalanche.

Every NHL outdoor game ever played, ranked by the size of the crowd

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 ...

NHL Winter Classic 2027: Utah vs Colorado, everything you need to know

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 ...

What it is	One outdoor regular-season game per season
First edition	1 January 2008, Buffalo v Pittsburgh
Next	31 December 2026, Utah v Colorado, Rice-Eccles Stadium
Milestone	Utah becomes the 32nd club to play outdoors
2026 edition	NY Rangers 5, Florida 1, loanDepot Park, Miami
Attendance record	105,491 at Michigan Stadium, 2014
Not the same as	The Stadium Series and the Heritage Classic

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