NHL's newest team to host Avalanche in 2027 Winter Classic

NHL's newest team to host Avalanche in 2027 Winter Classic originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's official, 2027 will mark a mountain rivalry for the NHL's Winter Classic.

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The Utah Mammoth will be hosting the Colorado Avalanche in Salt Lake City. The NHL's Winter Classic is held once a year in early January in which the league brings hockey outdoors. In 2027, that venue will be the football stadium at the University of Utah — Rice-Eccles Stadium. The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Mammoth and the Avalanche will be the 18th edition of the annual event.

Miami, FL, was the most recent host site of the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2026, between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers. The Rangers defeated the Panthers, 5-1, and improved their all-time outdoors record to an impressive 6-0-0.

Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Ann Arbor, Washington D.C., St. Louis, Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Miami have all been former host cities.

Mammoth to Host Avalanche in 2027 Winter Classic

This latest announcement of the Mammoth hosting the Colorado franchise in 2027 comes in the midst of Utah being barely two seasons into their existence.

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Team owners Ryan Smith and Ashley Smith were on site alongside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at the time of the announcement, signaling strong league confidence in the market.

"The 2027 NHL Winter Classic is coming to Utah," the Utah Mammoth posted from their X account.

Utah now becomes the fourth NCAA program whose college football stadium have transformed into outdoor hockey rinks for the Winter Classic, though this will mark the first one in the Beehive State. In addition, the Mammoth will now be the 14th team to host a Winter Classic game.

Mammoth players' Kailer Yamamoto and Brandon Tanev both played for the Seattle Kraken in the 2024 Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park.