The NHL Winter Classic 2021 has been officially set for early next year. The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues will clash in the annual attraction.
The outdoor hockey game will feature two of the NHL’s Central Division teams battling it out on a hockey rink set up inside the Minnesota Twins’ baseball stadium.
NHL Winter Classic 2021 details officially announced
On Sunday, February 23, the details for the NHL Winter Classic 2021 finally arrived. A promotional video on the NHL’s Minnesota Wild page gives a brief introduction to the event, which is sponsored by Bridgestone.
“Pros, playing the game the way the hockey gods intended…Oh yes, it’s gonna be classic,” the narrator says towards the close of the video clip.
Another video that arrived on the NHL Twitter (below) featured Minnesota Twins Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer playing catch at a snowy Target Field.
As one of them mentioned that Minnesota was going to play in the next NHL Winter Classic, he asked his teammate who he thought they might play.
A turn of his baseball glove revealed it would be none other than the St. Louis Blues as the Wild’s opponent.
You heard it from Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer themselves. The @mnwild will be taking on the @StLouisBlues at Target Field for the 2021 @Bridgestone NHL #WinterClassic!
Learn more at https://t.co/rHKGRlHJ7Y pic.twitter.com/q1f8xXplkw
— NHL (@NHL) February 24, 2020
The Minnesota Wild will make their first appearance in the Winter Classic, while division rivals, St. Louis, make their second.
The Blues previously hosted the 2017 game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, in front of over 46,000 fans. They’d claim a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The big game will officially take place on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2021, at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Winter Classic history goes back to 2008
The 2021 Winter Classic will make it 14-straight years the NHL has had the event. It first started back in 2008 when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Over the years, games have taken place at historic Wrigley Park, Fenway Park, and Notre Dame Stadium.
In the 2020 Classic, the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. After falling behind 2-0, Dallas scored four unanswered goals to win the game 4-2.
Ticket details for 2021 NHL Winter Classic
As of right now, there aren’t tickets available for the game just yet. However, the Minnesota Wild page on the NHL website indicates Wild season ticket holders will get first chance at tickets once they’re available.
There’s also a sign-up form on the page for interested customers who want first notice of tickets. That sign-up serves as an entry into a contest to win a ticket package for two to the big event in 2021.
Visit the NHL’s Minnesota Wild page for more details.