250pxThe NHL Winter Classic is an annual event held by the National Hockey League where regular-season games are played outdoors. The first was played on January 1, 2008 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres 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 in the United States. 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 matching the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks. This game had the highest television ratings of any hockey game in 33 years. The success of the 2009 NHL Winter Classic has solidified "The Classic" as an annual event from then on. The 2010 NHL Winter Classic will be held at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 1, 2010 featuring the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers.

WINTER CLASSIC TICKETS Monster Jam Tickets Los Angeles Lakers Tickets The Harlem Globetrotters New York Knicks Tickets Chicago Bulls Tickets Boston Celtics Tickets

Other outdoor games

The first outdoor NHL exhibition game 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 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 regular season outdoor game in the history of the National Hockey League.

History

• The winners of both Winter Classic games, Pittsburgh in 2008 and Detroit in 2009, have gone on to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals. Ironically, they lost to each other (the Red Wings won the Cup in 2008, the Penguins won in 2009).
• The visiting team has won all three outdoor games thus far.
• Goaltender Ty Conklin is the only NHL player to have participated in all three of the NHL's regular-season outdoor games. He appeared as an Oiler in 2003, a Penguin in 2008, and a Red Wing in 2009. Interestingly, on each occasion he was not his team's starting goaltender even a month prior to the outdoor games, however injuries had sidelined teammates Tommy Salo, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Chris Osgood. Conklin was quoted as saying “I count myself very lucky. There’s not a guy in this league who wouldn’t like to play in these games.” ^[2]

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.
2010	Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2010	January 1, 2010	Fenway Park, Boston, MA		Boston Bruins		Philadelphia Flyers

See also

• List of NHL Winter Classic broadcasters
• Heritage Classic
• Cold War (ice hockey)
• Pond hockey

References

1. Buffalo Sabres: History of the Outdoor Game
2. Rick Stano: Red Wings 6, Blackhawks 4