NHL Winter Classic 2026: Dates (Dec 31) and Fares

Name: NHL Winter Classic 2026
Start: 2026-12-31
End: 2026-12-31
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah (2026 game)

When is NHL Winter Classic 2026?

NHL Winter Classic 2026 runs on Thursday, December 31, 2026.

2026Thursday, December 31, 2026Confirmed

How the dates are set: The league announces the host city and date for each Winter Classic; the game branded the 2027 Winter Classic is played on December 31, 2026.

NHL Winter Classic bucket list

Your airport to Salt Lake City · December 31, 2026

See every event in December 2026

Source: nhl.com

NHL Winter Classic schedule

Thursday, December 31, 2026: The Discover NHL Winter Classic is played at 4:00 PM MT.
Matchup: The Utah Mammoth host the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Sources: nhl.com, stadium.utah.edu

Getting to NHL Winter Classic

Rice-Eccles Stadium is on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. It is home to the Utah Utes football team.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

History of NHL Winter Classic

The 2027 Winter Classic is the first outdoor NHL game played in Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is the first regular-season outdoor game for the Utah Mammoth, and the fourth for the Colorado Avalanche.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

NHL Winter Classic: questions people ask

Where is the NHL Winter Classic 2027?

The game is at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the Utah Mammoth hosting the Colorado Avalanche.

When is the 2027 NHL Winter Classic?

It is on Thursday, December 31, 2026 at 4:00 PM MT.

Who will play in the 2027 NHL Winter Classic?

The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche.

Is the Winter Classic the first outdoor NHL game in Utah?

Yes. It will be the first outdoor NHL game played in the state of Utah.

Sources: stadium.utah.edu, nhl.com, en.wikipedia.org

About NHL Winter Classic

An outdoor NHL game on New Year's Eve: the Avalanche visit the Mammoth at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

The Winter Classic is an outdoor regular-season NHL game. The 2027 edition is played at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus, with the Utah Mammoth hosting the Colorado Avalanche. It is the first outdoor NHL game in Utah and the Mammoth's first outdoor game. The catch: it is a one-game event on one afternoon, so fares and rooms around December 31 move fast.

Know before you go

It is a fully mobile ticket event, so tickets live on your phone.
Tickets are sold first-come, first-served through Ticketmaster, the NHL's official ticketing partner.
Rice-Eccles Stadium is on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

NHL Winter Classic bucket list

Your airport to Salt Lake City · December 31, 2026