The game will be played at University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
The Wasatch Mountain Range of the Greater Rockies will serve as the backdrop for the 2027 NHL Winter Classic. University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium will be the site of the league's signature regular-season event, which the Utah Mammoth will host in the franchise's third season.
The Mammoth will welcome the Colorado Avalanche in a college football venue that seats approximately 51,400 on a fall Saturday in Salt Lake City.
The date of the game has yet to be finalized, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Mammoth owners Ryan and Ashley Smith revealed the matchup Wednesday, along with Mammoth center Logan Cooley.
Logan Cooley on getting to play in the 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium: pic.twitter.com/SduTSBg5ah
— Jenna Fink (@jennamfink) January 7, 2026
The Mammoth, who formed after the Arizona Coyotes were dissolved in April 2024, are currently in their second season.
After a 8-2 start to the season, they're now 20-20-3 and in fourth place of the Central Division with 43 points.
This season, the Mammoth still have one more head-to-head meeting versus the Avalanche, who are the division leaders with a 31-4-7 record. With 69 points, Colorado is atop the Western Conference at the moment.
The Mammoth and Avalanche have met six times over the past two seasons, with Colorado holding a five-point advantage over Utah in the series. Their lone remaining matchup during the 2025-26 season is on Feb. 25 in Utah.
Next season's Winter Classic will mark the Avalanche's fourth. Utah, on the other hand, is the 32nd NHL franchise to appear in an outdoor game.
The annual event became tradition on Jan. 1, 2008. At the time, the Buffalo Sabres played the Pittsburgh Penguins at what was then known as Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills.
This year's Winter Classic was held at the Miami Marlins' loanDepot Park on Jan. 2. The New York Rangers defeated the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-1.
It was the fifth straight Classic at a baseball stadium.
That streak will end next season in Salt Lake City, where the University of Utah's campus will take center stage, as Rice-Eccles becomes the fourth college football stadium to host the event.
Category: General Sports
