Mammoth, Avalanche Headed To Rice-Eccles Stadium For 2027 Winter Classic
Utah is the only NHL team to have not played outdoors.
When the Florida Panthers left the ice after getting their asses handed to them by the New York Rangers in last week's Winter Classic in Miami, it left only one team in the entire NHL that has never played in an outdoor game.
That team is the Utah Mammoth, and they won't have to wait much longer to head outside, because on Wednesday, it was announced that they will host the Colorado Avalanche in the 2027 NHL Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the University of Utah Utes football team.
This comes after previous rumors that the 2027 Winter Classic would take place at Bristol Motor Speedway between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes were shot down (which is good, because, as I said, that should be a Stadium Series game instead).
"Super cool," Mammoth captain Clayton Keller said, per NHL. "I grew up watching the Winter Classic. I watched the 24/7 show on HBO. That was my favorite thing to watch. Now to be a part of that will be super special and a ton of fun."
Obviously, the NHL wanted to get Utah into a game sooner rather than later, and that'll be cool to see given that in just a few years the franchise (or at least its hockey assets; it's confusing) went from playing in a college arena with under 5,000 seats to hosting the Winter Classic.
The league made another strong move in picking Utah's opponent. Obviously, geography is a big factor, and so is the fact that this Winter Classic will pit two Central Division teams against each other.
But I think the stroke of genius is the fact that Colorado is on an absolute tear this season and features some of the biggest names in the sport, like Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. This will be the Avs' fourth outdoor game, but their first Winter Classic.
Previously, they faced the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 Stadium Series at Coors Field, the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 Stadium Series at Falcon Stadium, and then took their only outdoor win in 2021 against the Vegas Golden Knights at Lake Tahoe.
Remember that one? That was the game that was suspended for hours after the first period because of poor ice conditions, thanks to the sun.
But this Winter Classic should be a good one that heads back to the event's roots.
After Miami, a little snow — or a lot between two teams known as the Avalanche and Mammoth — will be nice.