84-977: Not to be confused with NHL Winter Classic . The Heritage Classic may refer to the following: A series of NHL outdoor games [ edit ] NHL Heritage Classic series of outdoor games 2003 Heritage Classic , held in Edmonton 2011 Heritage Classic , held in Calgary 2014 Heritage Classic , held in Vancouver 2016 Heritage Classic , held in Winnipeg 2019 Heritage Classic , held in Regina 2022 Heritage Classic , held in Hamilton 2023 Heritage Classic , held in Edmonton Other uses [ edit ] The historic name of
168-508: A full slate of college bowl games on New Year's Day, TNT will hold rights to the Winter Classic throughout the entire broadcast contract. On February 4, 2022, the NHL announced that Fenway Park would be the site of the 2023 NHL Winter Classic . As a result, Fenway Park became the third outdoor stadium to host multiple outdoor games, and the first to host two Winter Classics. On April 13, 2022,
252-637: A 3–0 loss to the Golden Knights. The Kraken finished their inaugural season in last place of the Pacific Division with a record of 27–49–6. The Kraken's second season was far superior to their first in terms of winning. On July 13, 2022, the team signed goaltender Martin Jones to a one-year contract. In January 2023, Jones backstopped the Kraken through seven games of an eight-game win streak. While doing, so
336-463: A Winter Classic, with the Blackhawks and Blues previously facing off at Busch Stadium in 2017. It was then announced that the game would take place on December 31, 2024, which marked the first and only time two Winter Classics were held in one calendar year, and the first Winter Classic to take place on New Year's Eve . Due to the popularity of the event, every NHL team has requested to participate in
420-680: A different state and media market from the host team—the stadium is located less than 100 mi (160 km) from Chicago but is served by television stations in South Bend. The NHL announced on January 26, 2019, that the Dallas Stars would host the Nashville Predators in the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas , Texas . It would be the first Winter Classic to take place at
504-537: A member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . The team was founded after the NHL approved a proposal by Seattle Hockey Partners to grant an expansion franchise to the city of Seattle, and the team began play during the league's 2021–22 season . They play their home games at Climate Pledge Arena . The Kraken qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 2023 , facing off against
588-652: A nephew of the Fremont Troll , a sculpture in Fremont . Buoy was introduced prior to a preseason home game against the Vancouver Canucks on October 1, 2022. The Kraken had intended to introduce Buoy around Christmas during the 2021–22 season, but due to game postponements related to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant , the team decided to wait until prior to the 2022–23 season instead. Reaction to Buoy's debut
672-741: A ratings success for the league in the United States and is regularly the league's most watched regular season contest (in the US), rivaling the ratings for the Stanley Cup . The 2014 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs had a television viewership in the U.S. and Canada of 8.2 million television viewers, a North American record for a regular season game; in addition to setting an NHL-record paid attendance of 105,491. Sportsnet's Chris Johnston said, "The feeling when
756-640: A similar policy for the Rangers in the 2014 Stadium Series and the 2011 NHL Premiere . The game was played on January 1, 2018. On November 18, 2017, the NHL announced that the Chicago Blackhawks would host the Boston Bruins in the Winter Classic scheduled for January 1, 2019. The game was played at Notre Dame Stadium , in Notre Dame , Indiana , and was the first instance of a Winter Classic being played in
840-570: A warm-climate city and the first outdoor game for both the Predators and Stars. The Stars won the game 4–2 in front of 85,630 fans, the second largest attendance in an NHL game behind the 2014 Winter Classic. The league originally announced on January 1, 2020, that the 2021 NHL Winter Classic would feature the Minnesota Wild at Target Field in Minneapolis , Minnesota . The league later confirmed
924-465: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages NHL Winter Classic The NHL Winter Classic ( French : La Classique hivernale de la LNH ) is an annual outdoor ice hockey game played during the National Hockey League 's (NHL) regular season on or around New Year's Day . It is generally held in a football or baseball stadium in
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#17328481964401008-729: Is located at Northgate Station (formerly Northgate Mall) and was opened in September 2021. The facility has three rinks and is open to the public. In 2024, a second community ice rink was proposed for a former park-and-ride lot in Kirkland on the Eastside . The Kraken's three home preseason games prior to the 2021–22 season were held at Spokane Arena in Spokane , Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett , and
1092-567: Is the studio host for all radio broadcasts, serving pre-game, intermission, and post-game coverage. The Coachella Valley Firebirds , the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Kraken, are based in Thousand Palms, California . After the Kraken were approved into the NHL by the Board of Governors, the team's ownership group began making plans for acquiring a minor league affiliate in
1176-519: The 2003 Heritage Classic , the NHL's first regular season outdoor game, the league inaugurated the Winter Classic in 2008. It eventually caught on as a league tradition and has been played every year since except for 2013 (due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout ) and 2021 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic ). The 2014 game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings set a new NHL attendance record of 105,491. The Winter Classic has been contested only in
1260-504: The 2012–13 NHL lockout disrupted the season, leading to the game's cancellation on November 2, 2012. The matchup was rescheduled for the 2014 Winter Classic, at the same venue with the same participants. It was the first time a Canadian team participated in the Winter Classic. An NHL-record total of 105,491 tickets were sold, greater than the Guinness World Records -certified world-record attendance of 104,173 at The Big Chill at
1344-623: The 2021–22 season . Delays associated with the construction of an arena in the Palm Springs area caused the team's debut to be pushed back to the 2022–23 season. On November 5, 2021, the new team revealed its name, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, as well as its logos and colors, at a ceremony held on the construction site of their new arena. The Firebirds have reached the Calder Cup Finals in each of their first two seasons. As
1428-464: The Chicago Blackhawks . That game had the highest American television ratings of any hockey game in 33 years. Weather has proven to affect the game, with the 2011 and 2012 classics being delayed due to rain and other weather. Outdoor effects of wind and sun glare may give an unfair advantage to one team, so the NHL sometimes modifies the third and overtime periods. In this case, play is stopped at
1512-598: The Colorado Avalanche in the first round. They upset the Avalanche in seven games, becoming the first team to win their inaugural playoff series against the defending Stanley Cup champion . However, they lost to the Dallas Stars in the second round, ending their sophomore season. On December 4, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted 7–1 in favor of a memorandum of understanding between the city of Seattle and
1596-590: The Kansas City Mavericks in that capacity for the 2022–23 season . This is a list of the seasons completed by the Kraken. Key: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against As of November 28, 2024. The Kraken are owned by Seattle Hockey Partners, an organization consisting of David Bonderman , Jerry Bruckheimer and Tod Leiweke . In 2022, former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and rapper Macklemore joined
1680-404: The Nashville Predators 4–3. The Kraken played their first home game at Climate Pledge Arena (formerly KeyArena) on October 23 in what would be a 4–2 loss to the fellow Pacific Northwest team Vancouver Canucks . Prior to the game, the team retired jersey number 32, in recognition of the franchise being the 32nd to join the NHL and in honor of the 32,000 fans who placed deposits for tickets on
1764-547: The Oak View Group , a sports company co-founded by Tim Leiweke , for renovations of KeyArena . Three days later, the National Hockey League (NHL) Board of Governors agreed to consider an expansion application from Seattle , with an expansion fee set at US$ 650 million. The Seattle ownership group was represented by David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer . Exactly a year after the memorandum of understanding,
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#17328481964401848-803: The Philadelphia Eagles , was reportedly preferred, but as the Eagles hosted a home game on January 1, the NHL could not undertake the required week-long renovations needed to construct the outdoor playing arena. The New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3–2. The sixth Winter Classic was scheduled for Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor in 2013, with the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six matchup. However,
1932-693: The Road to the NHL Winter Classic brand, but the 2017 edition was retitled Road to the NHL Outdoor Classics with the inclusion of the NHL Centennial Classic as part of the buildup. Starting with the 2018 Winter Classic, the NHL opted to distribute the Road to the NHL Winter Classic series to its broadcast partners. In addition, each episode was made available on NHL.com and the league's social media pages. From 2010 to 2020, episodes of
2016-586: The St. Louis Blues as the opponent. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the conclusion of the 2019–20 season to September and postponing the start of the following season , the event was moved to 2022 at its earliest. With a temperature of -5.7 °F at puck drop, the 2022 Winter Classic became the coldest outdoor game in NHL history as the Blues won 6–4. In 2021, the NHL ended its relationship with NBC and signed new agreements with ESPN and TNT . As ESPN has
2100-567: The Winnipeg Jets had Everett Fitzhugh on play-by-play and Brown on color commentary, comprising the first all-Black broadcast booth in NHL history. Kraken games are broadcast on KJR-FM 93.3 and KJR 950 AM, the flagship stations of the Kraken Audio Network. During a schedule conflict, some games may be heard on 96.5 KJAQ . The Kraken Audio Network also includes several other stations outside Seattle. Everett Fitzhugh serves as
2184-607: The accesso ShoWare Center in Kent , arenas home to Western Hockey League (WHL) teams, in an event known as the 3-Rink Rush. Tickets for the games were sold by the host WHL teams. The Kraken use the horn from the MV Hyak ferry boat as their goal horn . The team plays the Nirvana song " Lithium " after every Kraken goal at home; the song was chosen due to Nirvana's importance to Seattle popular culture. After their first win at home against
2268-612: The 2016 Winter Classic featuring the Canadiens). The Winter Classic games ranked among the most watched regular season NHL games on NBC when the network held the national U.S. broadcast rights from 2005 to 2021. Early entries in the Winter Classic ranked among the highest ratings for professional hockey in the U.S. since the 1970s, prior to that, the highest rating for an NHL game since then had been Wayne Gretzky 's final game, which aired on Fox in 1999. Winter Classic viewership peaked in 2011 (due to it being rescheduled to primetime) and, with
2352-667: The AHL. By early 2019, they had narrowed it down to promoting the ECHL 's Idaho Steelheads in Boise, Idaho , or a new expansion team in the area of Palm Springs, California . On June 26, 2019, it was reported the Seattle ownership group had chosen Palm Springs as the site for Seattle's AHL affiliate. The expansion franchise was approved by the AHL Board of Governors on September 30, 2019, with plans to begin play in
2436-608: The Big House , also held at Michigan Stadium. However, on January 24, 2014, an NHL source reported that the certified attendance, based on tickets scanned at the venue, fell short of the world record. In 2017, the Winter Classic was the second of two outdoor games to be held over the New Year's weekend, with the NHL Centennial Classic being held in Toronto on January 1 and the Winter Classic following on January 2. The St. Louis Blues defeated
2520-532: The Chicago Blackhawks by the score of 4–1, scoring 3 goals in the third period. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the first Winter Classic, the NHL announced on May 10, 2017, that the Buffalo Sabres would take part in the 2018 game against the New York Rangers at Citi Field . Due to a 1982 agreement with New York City and state tax laws that give their home arena Madison Square Garden tax-exempt status,
2604-849: The Firebirds were not ready for the 2021–22 season, Seattle affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers , sharing the team with the Florida Panthers . After clinching their division, the Checkers advanced to the Division Finals of the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs , where they lost to the Springfield Thunderbirds . For their inaugural season, the Kraken's ECHL affiliate was the Texas-based Allen Americans . They were replaced by
Heritage Classic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-529: The Greenburg era. Unlike previous seasons, the season finale did not include highlights of the Winter Classic itself. Each episode was made available on the Bleacher Report YouTube page. The Road to the Winter Classic series did not return for the 2023 edition, but in 2024, the NHL resumed producing four half-hour episodes of the series, albeit without the highlights from the game itself. The series
2772-509: The Kraken becoming the first team to earn a shutout in a Winter Classic, defeating the Golden Knights 3–0. On February 7, 2024, it was announced that the 2025 NHL Winter Classic will take place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, with the Chicago Blackhawks facing the St. Louis Blues. Wrigley Field joined Fenway Park as the only two-time hosts of a Winter Classic, and it will also mark the first repeat matchup in
2856-484: The Kraken named Mark Giordano as the team's inaugural captain. The team also named four alternate captains— Adam Larsson , Jordan Eberle , Yanni Gourde , and Jaden Schwartz . The Kraken played their first regular season game the next day, a 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, where Ryan Donato scored the team's first goal. The franchise's first win came in their next game two days later, when they defeated
2940-474: The Kraken, with the team name written inside. Ice blue, vintage white and deep sea blue stripes were added to the body and sleeves. The uniform was officially unveiled on November 22, 2023, but was leaked four days earlier when players from the National Basketball Association 's Utah Jazz walked into their home arena wearing it. Buoy, a sea troll , is the Kraken's mascot. He is said to be
3024-566: The Maple Leafs in the 2014 Winter Classic and the Canadiens in the 2016 edition. Nevertheless, the Winter Classic continues to air on Canadian television, but since 2016 the games are moved to Sportsnet . In addition, Sportsnet elected to simulcast the American broadcast feed of the Winter Classic as opposed to sending their own broadcast crews, except when a Canadian team is involved (as was the case in
3108-417: The Montreal Canadiens on October 26, 2021, the Kraken featured a new postgame tradition during the " Three Stars of the Game " ceremony. Instead of the honored players tossing conventional souvenir pucks or sticks to the fans, they throw a plush toy salmon into the crowd to mimic Seattle's Pike Place Market fish toss and to honor the significance of wild-caught salmon to the state of Washington. Rod Masters,
3192-459: The NFL's final week of regular season games. Instead, following precedent set by college football's bowl games (which move their games to Monday when January 1 lands on Sunday) and to prevent the risk of a weather delay pushing the game into the timeslot for NBC Sunday Night Football , the game took place on January 2, 2012. The game was played at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies . Neighboring Lincoln Financial Field , home of
3276-523: The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve a Seattle expansion team being added to the league. In mid-2019, the organization hired Ron Francis as their general manager to initiate operations for the team. Francis later stated that three things he wanted to prioritize in the Kraken's roster were speed, character, and competitiveness. In July 2020, the franchise announced their team name—the Seattle Kraken—as well as their team colors, branding, and home jersey. Nine months later, on April 30, 2021,
3360-463: The NHL and HBO announced a four-part documentary series as part of the build-up to the 2011 Winter Classic. The series, entitled 24/7: Road to the NHL Winter Classic , gave HBO exclusive access to the teams that were participating in the game. HBO went on to air two more editions in 2012 and 2014. For the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Winter Classics, the NHL partnered with Epix to air another series of four-part documentaries. The first two editions carried
3444-421: The NHL rookie of the year. The Kraken struggled offensively in their third season , ranking 29th in the league in goals, with only 217. In December and January, following an eight-game skid, goaltender Joey Daccord started in eight out of nine games of a franchise record nine-game win streak. In the midst of the streak, Daccord started in goal for the Kraken during the 2024 Winter Classic , where he achieved
Heritage Classic - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-413: The National Mall or Central Park have also been proposed, but present logistical challenges the league is unlikely to want to overcome given the other options available. For the Winter Classic, participating teams typically wear throwback, or retro-style sweaters, and occasionally retro-styled equipment. The throwback sweaters are popular with fans, and teams have often continued to wear them after
3612-615: The PGA Tour golf event now known as the RBC Heritage . Heritage Classic (PGA Tour of Australasia) The Heritage Classic motorcycles by Harley-Davidson Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Heritage Classic . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heritage_Classic&oldid=1214940156 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
3696-425: The Penguins were announced as the opponent with the game being held on January 2 (as January 1, 2023, falls on Sunday). The Bruins won the game, 2–1. On January 2, 2023, the day of the 2023 Winter Classic, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced on the game's pregame show that the Seattle Kraken would host the 2024 edition of the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park , playing against the Vegas Golden Knights . This
3780-432: The Rangers must not "cease playing" home games at MSG (which is generally interpreted as meaning playing a home game at any other venue), and thus Rangers hosted the game but played as the visiting team. The arrangement gave the Sabres only 40 games for the 2017–18 season in their home city of Buffalo, while the Rangers played 42 games (not counting away games against the New York Islanders ) in New York City. The NHL had used
3864-432: The United States in an area with a resident NHL team, though for most of the game's existence, they are usually played in a baseball stadium to avoid scheduling and logistical conflicts with football stadiums during the National Football League regular season . The Winter Classic is distinct from the league's two other series of outdoor games, the NHL Heritage Classic and the NHL Stadium Series . The first Winter Classic
3948-411: The United States, while the Heritage Classic has been held exclusively in Canada. The Winter Classic featured only American teams for its first five games, until the Maple Leafs' appearance in 2014. Along with the NHL All-Star Game , the Winter Classic is considered one of the NHL's premier events; with matchups generally booked to showcase the league's most popular teams and players, the event garners
4032-477: The Winter Classic either as the host or the visiting team. While proposals have been made for nearly every outdoor National Football League (NFL) stadium to host, with the end of the NFL season taking place at the same time of the Winter Classic followed by the NFL Playoffs starting the following week, in order to host the game the stadium's NFL team would have to play a Thursday Night Football game in Week 16 followed by an away game in Week 17 to even consider
4116-416: The Winter Classic. The Penguins and Blackhawks made their Winter Classic sweaters their alternates the following season. The Flyers went a step further and made their 2010 Winter Classic sweaters their permanent road sweaters, beginning with 2010–11. The Sabres had already been using a variation of their throwback sweater prior to their appearance (that particular season, there were no third sweaters anywhere in
4200-408: The Year," the second time in five years the Classic has won that distinction. The Winter Classic as a television event was presented by NBC Sports Executive VP Jon Miller. He pitched the idea to the NHL in 2004 "but they didn't find the concept workable." In December 2006, Miller found an ally in then Executive VP/Business & Media John Collins, who embraced the idea. The first Winter Classic
4284-422: The exception of one-year bumps in 2014 and 2019, has been in a mostly steady decline since then. TNT holds the rights to televise the Winter Classic from 2022 to 2028. The 2022 game thus became the first time that the Winter Classic aired exclusively on American cable television. 1.36 million people watched the game on TNT and it earned a 0.6 rating. This rating was a decline of 48% from the 2019 edition. However,
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#17328481964404368-431: The first possible day. The team picked up their first home win on October 26, against the Montreal Canadiens . On February 2, 2022, Grubauer recorded the franchise's first shutout , making 19 saves in a 3–0 victory against the New York Islanders . On March 20, the Kraken's captaincy became vacant after Giordano was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs . The team was eliminated from playoff contention on March 30 following
4452-527: The first round of the 2021 NHL entry draft took place. The Kraken used their second-overall pick to select Matty Beniers , a center from the University of Michigan . The previous season, Beniers had scored 24 points throughout 24 games, and his 10 goals ranked first among goals for first-time draft-eligible NCAA players. On July 28, 2021, the Kraken started their inaugural free agency strongly, signing forwards Alexander Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz , and goaltender Philipp Grubauer . On October 11,
4536-490: The first-ever shutout in Winter Classic history with a 3–0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. The team was eliminated from playoff contention on April 3, following a 5–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings . The Kraken finished their season with a 34–35–13 record, enough for sixth place in their division. On April 29, following the end of the season, head coach Dave Hakstol was fired, being replaced by Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma on May 28. In July 2024,
4620-405: The franchise became the first team to win all seven games of a seven-game road trip. On April 6, the Kraken clinched their first playoff berth, qualifying for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs . The team's record of 46–28–8 and 100 points was good for fourth in the Pacific Division and the first wild card spot in the Western Conference . On April 30, the Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche in
4704-552: The franchise paid the final installment of the US$ 650 million expansion fee, officially making the Seattle Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL. The Kraken made their first player signing, Luke Henman , on May 12. More than a month later, the organization hired Dave Hakstol to be their inaugural head coach . On July 19, a three-day period began where the Kraken could talk to unrestricted free agents before any other team could. The Kraken used this period to sign Adam Larsson , Jamie Oleksiak , and Chris Driedger . An expansion draft
4788-407: The game had the widest audience in history of any NHL regular season game broadcast on cable. This was surpassed by the 2024 Winter Classic, which was viewed by only 1.1 million people (0.4 rating) combined on TNT and truTV . Starting with the 2025 Winter Classic, the game would take place on New Year's Eve to avoid competing with the newly-expanded College Football Playoff bowl games . In 2010,
4872-432: The league its highest attendance and among its highest television ratings. The event is typically promoted as a return to the sport's outdoor roots, meant to evoke memories of pond hockey . Its popularity has led to the scheduling of additional outdoor hockey games, both in the NHL and other leagues worldwide. In May 2014, the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily named the Winter Classic its "Sports Event of
4956-404: The league) and adopted a slightly updated version of the sweaters as their main uniform in 2010–11, while the 2011 contestants, the Penguins and Capitals, wore their classic uniforms as third jerseys in 2011–12 . The Capitals continued to do so through the 2014–15 season, the same year the Flyers adopted their 2012 Winter Classic sweaters as their third jerseys. The Winter Classic has proven to be
5040-431: The midway point and teams switch directions. This option was exercised in 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018. The 2008, 2014, and 2018 games also featured the teams switching ends halfway through the five-minute overtime period for the same reason. In 2008 and 2014 the games went into a shootout, where both goaltenders alternated defending the same goal, rather than the normal practice of defending opposite goals. The Winter Classic
5124-406: The opening best-of-seven playoff series, becoming the first expansion team in NHL history to win their first playoff series against the defending Stanley Cup champion. The team's playoff run came to an end after the second round where they lost to the Dallas Stars in seven games. On June 26, at the NHL Awards ceremony, Matty Beniers was named the winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy for being
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#17328481964405208-489: The organist from the 1977 film Slap Shot , became the organist for the Kraken starting with the team's January 1, 2022, home game against the New York Islanders. As Climate Pledge Arena does not have an organ, Masters played music using electronic keyboards. Masters retired after the 2021–22 season, and the Kraken hired 29-year-old Ben Wooley to replace him. On July 23, 2020, the team held an event to reveal their team branding. The franchise's promotional materials state that
5292-421: The partnership as minority owners. The Kraken have four player awards that are given after each season. The Kraken's most valuable player , as voted on by Seattle-area media, receives the Pete Muldoon Award. The player with the most mentions in the Three Stars of the Game ceremony of each Kraken home game, computed using a points system, wins the Three Stars of the Year Award. The Guyle Fielder Award goes to
5376-411: The players walked into the 87-year-old stadium in front of more than 100,000 fans was truly something special. The biggest and best Winter Classic of them all lived up to its advanced billing." The game went down to the wire, ending in a 3–2 Toronto victory in a shootout. Despite the overwhelming popularity of the original Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers in 2003,
5460-414: The popularity of the Winter Classic in Canada is not as high as it is in the United States. On Canada's CBC Television network, the Winter Classic has lower ratings than its weekly regular season telecasts Hockey Night in Canada . This has been attributed to the lack of Canadian teams in any of the Winter Classics and has led to both the revival of the all-Canadian Heritage Classic and the scheduling of
5544-508: The possibility of hosting (as was the case for the 2011 game). The tight timeline would also rule out the ability for other support events such as alumni games or local college/lower level hockey games as the rink would have to be de-constructed immediately after the Winter Classic to ensure venue availability for NFL Playoff games. While some NCAA College Football stadiums are unavailable to host due to already existing bowl games, most of these games are held in warmer weather climates opening up
5628-620: The possibility of the largest Big Ten Conference Stadiums such as Michigan Stadium (which hosted in 2014), Ohio Stadium , Beaver Stadium , and other large stadiums such as Notre Dame Stadium (which hosted in 2019). Most Major League Soccer soccer specific stadiums have seating capacities significantly lower than the other available facilities. With Major League Baseball (MLB) in its offseason and with few other uses for its stadiums during winter, more MLB stadiums have hosted than other type of venue and are expected to be contenders for hosting most future Winter Classics. Non-sports venues like
5712-430: The revival of the Heritage Classic, an outdoor game featuring only Canadian NHL teams; and the creation of the NHL Stadium Series , another regular season event held at an outdoor venue. [REDACTED] Media related to NHL Winter Classic at Wikimedia Commons Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle . The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as
5796-404: The series were produced by Ross Greenburg in conjunction with the NHL. Beginning in 2021, NHL Studios will oversee production of the series, with Steve Mayer as executive producer, and Jay Nelson and Steve Stern as producers. For the 2022 edition, the Road to the Winter Classic was aired as a five or eight-minute segment on the NHL on TNT postgame show as opposed to a standalone episode during
5880-415: The team made history by hiring Jessica Campbell as the NHL's first female assistant coach. In October, the Kraken named Jordan Eberle the second captain in franchise history. The Kraken play their home games at Climate Pledge Arena . The arena, at Seattle Center , is a $ 930 million redevelopment of the former KeyArena. On June 25, 2020, Amazon bought the naming rights to KeyArena and chose to rename
5964-425: The team's "Kraken" name was adopted to honor the maritime culture of Seattle, as well as in reference to the Giant Pacific octopus , the largest species of octopus in the world, which can be found in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest region also has a history of Scandinavian immigrants and ancestry, further connecting Seattle to the Nordic origin of the "Kraken" mythology. The colors chosen for
6048-409: The team's first three seasons. Former Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund serves as the team's television play-by-play announcer. J. T. Brown is the Kraken's primary television color analyst . In August 2022, the team hired Eddie Olczyk to be a television analyst alongside Forslund and Brown. The telecast for the Kraken's February 17, 2022, game against
6132-432: The team's logo were ice blue, boundless blue, shadow blue and red alert. For the team's jerseys, deep sea blue served as the base color with the logo's colors as accent colors. The first time Kraken uniforms were seen on players was at the 2021 NHL expansion draft. On October 20, 2022, The Kraken unveiled their "Reverse Retro" uniform for the 2022–23 season, featuring an ice blue base with deep sea blue striping. The design
6216-574: The team's primary radio play-by-play announcer. He is the first Black full-time play-by-play announcer in NHL history. Former NHL player and Vancouver Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson served as Fitzhugh's color analyst for the Kraken's first two seasons, before resigning in August 2023 to take a new broadcasting job in Canada. The Kraken then hired former Seattle Thunderbirds forward and Everett Silvertips commentator Al Kinisky to replace him. Mike Benton
6300-605: The teammate who best exemplifies "perseverance, hustle, and dedication" as voted upon by their teammates and coaches. The Fan Favorite Award goes to a player who wins a fan vote. Pete Muldoon Award Three Stars of the Year Award Guyle Fielder Award Fan Favorite Award Matty Beniers won the Calder Memorial Trophy at the end of the Kraken's sophomore season after leading all rookies in points, with 57, and tying for
6384-543: The venue due to their environmental goals. The venue has 17,151 seats in its ice hockey configuration. Vince Dunn scored the first Kraken goal in the arena's history on October 23, 2021. The Kraken's first shutout win at home was a 3–0 victory over the San Jose Sharks on April 29, 2022, the final home game of their inaugural season. The team's primary practice facility, named the Kraken Community Iceplex,
6468-590: Was a callback to the Seattle Ironmen , a defunct Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) team that existed in the 1940s. For the 2024 Winter Classic , the Kraken wore a uniform inspired by the Seattle Metropolitans , a former Stanley Cup-competing team which won the championship in 1917 . The deep sea blue uniform features a red "S" similar to the Metropolitans' crest, but shaped to the current "S" logo of
6552-562: Was held January 1, 2008, between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York . The game had a then-NHL-record crowd of 71,217 fans in attendance. 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
6636-612: Was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium (now Highmark Stadium) in Orchard Park, New York , between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins . Fifteen Winter Classics have been held as of January 2024. The most recent game was played during the 2023–24 NHL season at T-Mobile Park , with the Seattle Kraken defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3−0. After the success of the Cold War at Michigan State University in 2001 and
6720-420: Was held three days later at Gas Works Park in front of more than 4,000 spectators and fans. The draft was held in a similar manner to a previous expansion draft held in 2017 for the Vegas Golden Knights , who were themselves exempt from the 2021 expansion draft. Larsson, Oleksiak, and Driedger counted as the pick from their respective teams ( Edmonton , Dallas , and Florida , respectively). Two days later,
6804-507: Was made a part of the NHL schedule through at least January 1, 2021, as part of the league's television contract, initially with NBC and Versus , then just NBC after Comcast (the parent company of Versus ) bought NBC and merged Versus into the NBC Sports banner. The 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia was not played on New Year's Day, as that fell on a Sunday in 2012 and conflicted with
6888-906: Was polarized, with many observers expressing a strong like or dislike for the mascot. During the 2021–22 season, in the absence of an official mascot, the Kraken promoted a "team dog" named Davy Jones. The dog, a four-month-old husky mix rescue dog introduced on January 17, 2022, socialized with fans at home games as he trained to be a therapy dog . Kraken games are televised through the Kraken Hockey Network (KHN), which includes over-the-air television stations in Seattle ( KING-TV and KONG ), Spokane ( KREM and KSKN ), and Yakima ( KAPP and KVEW), Washington ; Eugene ( KEVU and KLSR-TV ) and Portland ( KGW ), Oregon ; and Anchorage ( KAUU ) and Juneau (KYEX-LD), Alaska . Games can also be streamed locally on Amazon Prime Video . Games were televised regionally on Root Sports Northwest for
6972-566: Was produced by Radan Films and NHL Productions. Its popularity in the United States led to the American Hockey League adopting a similar contest in 2010, the AHL Outdoor Classic , which it continued to organize each season through 2017–18. Both the Winter Classic and the earlier Cold War contest helped repopularize outdoor hockey at the college and university level , and several college organizations, minor and junior hockey leagues hold outdoor games each year. The Winter Classic also led to
7056-528: Was the first Winter Classic to be held on the American West Coast and the first between Pacific Division opponents. This was also be the first Winter Classic, and the second NHL outdoor game, to take place in a retractable roof stadium. Due to Seattle's rainy climate that may affect ice conditions, organizers planned on closing the T-Mobile Park roof in case of heavy rainfall. The game ended with
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