Mammoth to host 2027 Winter Classic vs. Avalanche in Salt Lake City

The Winter Classic is coming to Utah.

The Utah Mammoth will host the 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic, playing the Colorado Avalanche at picturesque Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. A date will be announced at a later time.

"We couldn't be more excited, more thrilled," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "If I would have suggested such an announcement three years ago before this team even existed, people would have thought we were making it up, but this is great for this franchise. (Utah co-owners Ryan and Ashley Smith) have done so much. The fan response and the corporate response and the community response has been incredible. We're delighted to share this event with this great community.”

The event will celebrate the extraordinary progress since the NHL established a new franchise in Utah on April 18, 2024.

"It's awesome," Mammoth forward Logan Cooley said. "I think for me growing up, being on the outdoor rink, that's some of the best memories that I have. And as a little kid, you always watched the Winter Classic, especially around the holidays. You always imagine yourself being out there and trying to be in this position and have the chance to play in the Winter Classic in Utah with the support of our fans, I’m looking forward to it.”

Despite a tight timeline, the team bought the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, built a temporary practice facility, completed initial renovations of Delta Center and played its inaugural 2024-25 season as the Utah Hockey Club.

Then the team unveiled a permanent brand identity as the Utah Mammoth, opened a new practice facility and completed the next phase of renovations of Delta Center, which has been packed with loud, passionate fans again this season.

Now the Mammoth will draw their largest crowd yet. Nestled between the mountains and downtown, Rice-Eccles Stadium sits on the campus of the University of Utah and seats more than 54,000 for college football.

It was the site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. The 1980 United States hockey team lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony in honor of its “Miracle on Ice” and gold medal.

“I think this venue is going to be incredible," Ryan Smith said. "If you look at the proximity to where it kind of sits down where the ice is, everyone's going to be able to actually watch hockey from here, which I think some it's been a little different. So I'm excited, I'm excited about that. This is a dream. We actually came up here early in the process of even getting the team because we said this is what we want.

"We wanted our players to be able to have it, but we also wanted our community to be able to say, you know, this is what hockey culture and the hockey fan base, and this is like the ultimate celebration of the sport. And it's cool to be able to not just have it be a celebration but also education as well for so many people to get back. That's kind of what this franchise has been. It's a little bit about the sport that a lot of people in the state didn't know they really needed in their lives.”

When the puck drops for this Winter Classic, all 32 franchises will have participated in an outdoor game. Before this season, the Mammoth and the Florida Panthers were the only teams who hadn’t appeared in one. The Panthers hosted the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic against the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2.

“It was a long time coming for some franchises, but for this franchise, long overdue," Bettman said. "But the circumstances and the ownership in the community has made it right. And just to add to that, in the very early discussions I had with Ryan about the possibility of franchise here, the thing that impressed me most was he was focused on big things for Utah. What could they do to make a difference to bring big things to Utah? Franchise, obviously the Olympics, what's going to go on downtown, all part of big things. But this is a big thing, and we're happy to share it with members of the NHL family that now reside in Utah.”

The Avalanche have appeared in three outdoor games.

They lost to the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 before 50,095 in the Stadium Series at Coors Field in Denver on Feb. 27, 2016, and to the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 before 43,574 in the Stadium Series at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Feb. 15, 2020.

They defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada, on Feb. 20, 2021. The game was for a TV audience with no fans in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re excited and honored that the League selected us for the Winter Classic,” Colorado president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said. “The Avalanche organization is always proud to be in consideration for marquee events like this. We’re looking forward to being matched up with a great team and represent the Rocky Mountain region in a game that appeals to these two markets in this part of the country.”

When asked about his reaction to having a Winter Classic in Utah, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who played with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 Stadium Series in Nashville, said: “It’s sick. I played in one in Nashville with 70,000 people, it was perfect.”