SALT LAKE CITY, UT — The Utah Mammoth is heading to the great outdoors to play in one of the most popular games on the NHL schedule.
In a big announcement on Wednesday, the Mammoth were named hosts of the NHL Winter Classic set for Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2027. The Colorado Avalanche will face off against Utah in front of 50,000 fans on the campus of the University of Utah.
The exact date of the game has not yet been announced.
Almost since the Mammoth dropped the puck in Salt Lake City last season, rumors continued to skate through the hockey-sphere that Utah would eventually host an outdoor game at the stadium.
Those rumors peaked on Tuesday when former NHL player and league insider Paul Bissonnette reported on the 'Spittin Chiclets' podcast that Utah would get an outdoor game next season.
For two decades, outdoor games at iconic stadiums and locations have become highly anticipated events each NHL season. Games have been played at places like Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers faced off in the most recent outdoor game on Friday at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
