From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
View of stadium during the 2008 NHL Winter Classic.
The NHL Winter Classic is a series of National Hockey League regular-season, outdoor hockey games played on New Year's Day. The first was played on January 1, 2008 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, This game had an NHL-record crowd of 71,217 fans in attendance and was the first ever regular-season outdoor NHL game held on U.S. soil. However, the Winter Classic was preceded by the 2003 Heritage Classic which took place on November 22, 2003 at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. The Heritage Classic was between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens and was the first NHL regular season outdoor game in the history of the National Hockey League. The first NHL exhibition game to be played outdoors was on September 28, 1991 when the Los Angeles Kings played the New York Rangers outside Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. [1]
The success of the 2008 NHL Winter Classic led the NHL to schedule a second one for 2009, held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, on January 1, 2009. The series looks to continue annually going forward as the league considers a number of venues for future editions of the Classic.[1] Sources have indicated that Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts is the most likely host for the 2010 Winter Classic, with the game being between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins.[2]
The winners of both Winter Classic games, Pittsburgh in 2008 and Detroit in 2009, have gone on to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Ty Conklin is the only NHL player to have played in all the outdoor Classic games, he started in 2003 Edmonton Oilers: (L, 3–4), 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins: (W, 2-1(SO)) and 2009 Detroit Red Wings: (W 6-4)
[edit] List of NHL Classics
| Edition |
Name |
Date |
Site |
Attendance |
Home Team |
Score |
Away Team |
Notes |
| 2003 |
Heritage Classic |
November 22, 2003 |
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB |
57,167 |
Edmonton Oilers |
3–4 |
Montreal Canadiens |
First regular season NHL outdoor game.
Predecessor to the "Winter Classic". |
| 2008 |
AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic |
January 1, 2008 |
Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, NY |
71,217 |
Buffalo Sabres |
1–2 (SO) |
Pittsburgh Penguins |
First "Winter Classic", known colloquially as the "Ice Bowl". |
| 2009 |
Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2009 |
January 1, 2009 |
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL |
40,818 |
Chicago Blackhawks |
4–6 |
Detroit Red Wings |
This is the first "Classic" to feature two Original Six teams. |
Ty Conklin has started in all three outdoor "classic" games representing the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
