"Just five days after the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers in the 2026 edition of the Winter Classic by a score of 5-1, the NHL announced that Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the Utah Utes' college football team, would play host to the 2027 Winter Classic. The chosen matchup? The Utah Mammoth versus the Colorado Avalanche. The 2027 Winter Classic will mark the first time that both the Utah Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche play in the league's annual New Year's-centred outdoor game."
"For one, the Utah Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche both play in the Central Division; considering that the Winter Classic does tend to highlight divisional rivalries, it makes sense to pit the two teams against each other. The matchup also makes sense in geographical terms; both Salt Lake City and Denver, where the Mammoth and Avalanche play their respective home games, are located about an hour away from the Rocky Mountains, making this matchup seem like a "Rocky Mountain Rivalry.""
Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City will host the 2027 Winter Classic, scheduled to feature the Utah Mammoth against the Colorado Avalanche. The game will be the first Winter Classic appearance for both franchises and will mark Utah's first outdoor game in franchise history. The Avalanche will make their fourth outdoor-game appearance and the first outdoor game played away from their home arena. The matchup pairs two Central Division rivals and fosters a regional "Rocky Mountain Rivalry" given Salt Lake City and Denver's proximity to the Rockies. The two cities lie about eight hours apart by car and roughly two hours by flight. No official date has yet been confirmed.
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