Discover NHL Winter Classic: Series History & What to Know for 2026

One of the NHL’s best traditions is heading to Utah. On December 31, 2026, the Discover NHL Winter Classic will take place at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium and features the Utah Mammoth hosting regional and divisional rivals the Colorado Avalanche.

The late 2026 edition will mark the first time either team has played in the Winter Classic. While the Mammoth plan to make their outdoor hockey debut, the Avalanche will appear in their fourth regular season NHL outdoor game after previously competing in the 2016 and 2020 editions of the NHL Stadium Series as well as the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe. After back-to-back losses in the Stadium Series, the Avalanche improved their overall outdoor record to 1-2-0 with a victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.

Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the University of Utah Utes football team, will be hosting the event for the first time and serves as the first Utah stadium overall to host an NHL outdoor game.

The 18th Discover NHL Winter Classic will stand as the second time that two Winter Classic games have taken place in the same calendar year. The previous Discover NHL Winter Classic took place on January 2, 2026 when the Florida Panthers hosted the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park in Miami, the home of MLB’s Miami Marlins. The Rangers defeated the Panthers, 5-1.

Looking to attend the NHL Winter Classic? Check out our NHL ticket-buying guide.

Discover NHL Winter Classic FAQ

Who’s playing in the Discover NHL Winter Classic?

The 18th edition of the Discover NHL Winter Classic will feature the Utah Mammoth hosting the Colorado Avalanche.

When is the Discover NHL Winter Classic?

The Discover NHL Winter Classic will take place on December 31, 2026.

Where is the Discover NHL Winter Classic?

The Discover NHL Winter Classic will be played at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Mother Nature and Outdoor Hockey

Despite snow, rain or frigid temperatures, all of the NHL Winter Classic games have pushed through and played on. The 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic in Minneapolis between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild was the coldest game in NHL history; the temperature was nearly -6 degrees Fahrenheit at the puck drop with a -18 degrees wind-chill factor. The temperature for this game was so cold, the grounds crew at Target Field had to heat up the ice to 22 degrees. According to NHL.com, “The floor of the rink is made of 283 aluminum ice pans. A mobile refrigeration unit pumps glycol through pipes to the pans and back to the truck to transfer heat.”

During the 2014 Bridgestone Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium, a snowstorm was so bad, the game had to be continuously paused in order to shovel snow off the ice. The snow and the cold are not the only problems that can result from the NHL Winter Classic games being outside; in 2012 it rained during the second period when the New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Though cold weather temps are the norm for NHL Winter Classic games, the heat has also been a problem. During the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars in Dallas, the temperature was 55 degrees Fahrenheit when the game started, causing the top layer of the ice to melt, erasing the white paint and NHL logo. Luckily, the NHL had planned for this possibility during the creation of the Winter Classic rink, and so the ice was designed to be 2-2.5 inches thick as opposed to the standard 1-1.5 inches thick so the game was able to be played, leading to a 4-2 Dallas victory. The league used the same methods at Miami’s loanDepot Park in 2026 for the first Winter Classic held in Florida, which set the event’s record-high temperature at 63 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the ballpark’s retractable roof remained closed until puck drop to manage the daytime heat before the night game.

NHL Winter Classic History

Beginning in 2008, the NHL Winter Classic has been a regular-season, outdoor hockey game on or around New Year’s Day. The first NHL Winter Classic was between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium (now the former Highmark Stadium) in Orchard Park, New York, on January 1, 2008, with the Penguins winning 2-1 after defeating the Sabres in a shootout. Since the debut, the NHL Winter Classic has been played every year (excluding 2013 due to the lockout and 2021 due to COVID-19). All of the 17 previous NHL Winter Classics have been sellouts.

The outdoor event has been an NHL fan favorite, leading fans to embrace the temperatures and flock to the stadiums in record numbers. The 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor holds the record for the largest NHL crowd with 105,491 tickets sold. Many teams have played in the NHL Winter Classic, but the Chicago Blackhawks hold the record for most appearances as well as most games lost — being 0-5 since their 2009 debut at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

There have been a number of rule changes throughout the years in order to keep the game fair, including: teams are to switch sides halfway through the third period; if overtime occurs, teams are to switch sides during the 2.5 minute mark; and if a shootout occurs, goalies are allowed to decide which goal they would like to defend.

Past NHL Winter Classic Results