The NHL is taking its outdoor spectacle to the Pacific Northwest in 2024.
Just before the puck dropped on the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic, commissioner Gary Bettman revealed the game’s next location.
On New Year’s Day in 2024, the Winter Classic will be heading to the state of Washington, where the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, will host the Vegas Golden Knights.
The NHL has selected the Seattle Kraken to host the 2024 Winter Classic.
The trip to Seattle to pit the league’s newest clubs against one another comes on the heels of an Eastern Conference matchup in 2023 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, two teams that are no strangers to taking the game outdoors.
For the Bruins, the 2023 Winter Classic was the third time that they have hosted the event, while the Penguins made their third appearance overall in the NHL’s biggest regular season event.
The NHL could not have made a more different selection for 2024’s game after the established teams that played in this year’s game. In some ways, that’s a good thing, and in some ways, it’s not.
I love the idea of including two new Winter Classic participants, as the NHL has had a tendency to choose from a small group of teams in the East. Seeing some fresh faces on New Year’s Day next season will be refreshing.
With that said, was Seattle the right place to go? The Kraken against the Golden Knights makes a ton of sense, as both teams have joined the NHL in the last six years. However, there are a lot of teams that have been around longer but have not yet hosted or participated in the Winter Classic.
As a matter of fact, there are still some clubs that have yet to play outdoors at all. While the idea to capitalize on the excitement that still comes from its expansion teams makes sense, the NHL may be overlooking some other teams that have been patiently waiting their turn to go outside.
I think Seattle and Vegas would have made for a great Stadium Series showdown in 2024, but their appearance in the Winter Classic, especially the opportunity to host for the Kraken, feels a bit premature.
Nevertheless, T-Mobile Park in Seattle will be the site for the Winter Classic on January 1, 2024.