What is the Winter Classic?
Since 2008, the National Hockey League has hosted a collection of outdoor games headlined by the annual Winter Classic.
Normally hosted on New Year’s Day, two teams are selected to participate in a marquee outdoor hockey game.
In the past, cities such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor, and Seattle have hosted the extraordinary event.
In 2026, the NHL experimented with a different approach as the Florida Panthers hosted the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
In 2014, the NHL also introduced the Stadium Series to add even more annual outdoor games to the league’s schedule.
However, these differ from the Winter Classic as they serve as more of a supporting event to reach additional markets, as opposed to the Winter Classic, which is the primary outdoor game for the calendar year.
The Winter Classic will now return to a true winter setting as Salt Lake City prepares to welcome the prestigious outdoor event next year.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will begin a seven-game home stand against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).