Utah Mammoth to Battle Colorado Avalanche Outdoors on the Home Field of University of Utah Football
NEW YORK – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that the2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic® will feature the Utah Mammoth hosting the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the on-campus football venue at the University of Utah. The regular-season outdoor game will be televised exclusively on TNT in the U.S. and on Sportsnet in Canada. Additional details for the 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic®, including ticketing information and the game’s date and start time, will be announced when available. Fans can sign up for news and updates on the 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic here.
The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic® will mark the first regular-season outdoor game for the Utah Mammoth, in what will be the franchise’s third year of play. It will be the fourth regular-season outdoor appearance for the Avalanche, which holds a record of 1-2-0 in previous outdoor action. That record includes a 5-3 Stadium Series loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in Denver in 2016, a 3-1 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 Stadium Series at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, and a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe™ at Edgewood Tahoe Resort.
The game continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, and next season’s edition will mark the 18th NHL Winter Classic® and the 47th NHL regular-season outdoor game overall. The Utah Mammoth will become the 32nd NHL franchise to participate in an outdoor game. A complete history of NHL regular-season outdoor games can be found here.
To date, the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche have met six times in regular-season action, with Colorado holding a five-point edge over Utah (COL: 4-1-1—9 points; UTA: 2-4-0—4 points), including three matchups this season (COL: 2-0-1—5 points; UTA: 1-2-0—2 points). The two Clubs still have one head-to-head meeting remaining this season, Feb. 25 in Utah.
Rice-Eccles Stadium has served as the home of the University of Utah Utes gridiron program since opening in September of 1998. The venue, which sits 4,657 feet above sea level, features spectacular scenic views of the nearby Wasatch Mountain Range of the Greater Rockies. In addition to Utes football, Rice-Eccles has hosted multiple other major sporting events, most prominently the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games. The venue is also set to host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2034 Utah Winter Olympic Games.
