The New York Islanders and New York Rangers square off for a face-off during the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on February 18, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – While the idea of the Utah Hockey Club hosting an outdoor game has been discussed by President of Hockey Operations Chris Armstrong in recent months, owner Ryan Smith recently shared an update on his X account.
Outdoor NHL game coming soon? 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/kV3oSAqES5
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 27, 2025
Ahead of the upcoming stadium series matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets, the NHL unveiled a rendering of Ohio Stadium’s transformation to host the event.
An X post of the rendering was then quoted by former Utah Jazz and current ESPN reporter Holly Rowe, who asked Smith if the Utah Hockey Club could do something similar at Rice Eccles or Lavell Edwards Stadium.
Smith then replied, “In motion ..”
Since 2008, the National Hockey League has hosted a collection of outdoor games headlined by the annual Winter Classic.
Normally hosted on New Years Day, two teams are selected to participate in an outdoor hockey game. In the past, cities such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor and Seattle have hosted the extraordinary event.
In 2014, the NHL then introduced the Stadium Series to add yet another annual outdoor game to the league’s schedule.
According to Utah Hockey Club President Chris Armstrong, the organization has already engaged the league about the potential of an outdoor game in the Beehive State.
“I definitely would say it’s a possibility & something we’re already in discussions about with the league. There’s a couple of great venues locally that would make an incredible atmosphere for a game like that. We’re going to try to make that happen sooner rather than later,” Armstrong told Jeremiah Jensen on the KSL Sports Zone.
In years past, each Winter Classic has been hosted in either an MLB, NFL or College football stadium.
Without an NFL or MLB team in Utah, two local venues that make the most sense to host an outdoor NHL game would either be Rice Eccles or Lavell Edwards Stadium.
Currently, Lavell Edwards boasts the larger capacity with more than 62,000 seats. As for Rice Eccles, which already hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics, it has a capacity of more than 51,000.
While either would be a great venue for hockey, Rice Eccles proximity to Salt Lake City and familiarity with the Olympics make for a solid argument while Lavell Edwards is notably bigger.
Regardless of the venue, Utah would be a perfect setting for an outdoor NHL game.
I think Vegas would be a lot of fun.
The proximity of the two teams would create an unreal sold out stadium and an electric game. https://t.co/hXG14NWKiE
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 27, 2025
With gorgeous winter backdrops, a familiarity with winter sports and a growing fanbase, the NHL should strongly consider the Utah Hockey Club as a host in the near future.
The Utah Hockey Club will host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at Delta Center. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
