NHL Winter Classic The 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 . 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 Winter Classic was the brainchild of then NHL Executive VP / Business & Media John Collins . The third Winter Classic was held at Fenway Park in Boston , Massachusetts , on January 1 , 2010 , featuring the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers . The result was a dramatic 2 - 1 overtime win for Boston , making the Bruins the first home team to win an NHL outdoor game . The announcement of the 2010 Winter Olympics roster for the United States men ' s national ice hockey team was made shortly after the game had ended . 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 the midway point and teams switch directions . This option was exercised in 2008 . Other NHL 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 . 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 . 2013 - 14 season . The National Hockey League is planning to have six outdoor games for the 2013 - 2014 season : January 1 , 2014 Detroit Red Wings vs . Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium , in Ann Arbor , MI ( planned to be called the 2014 Winter Classic after the 2013 Winter Classic was cancelled by the lockout ) January 25 , 2014 Los Angeles Kings vs . Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium January 26 , 2014 New Jersey Devils vs . New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium January 29 , 2014 New York Islanders vs . New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium March 1 , 2014 Chicago Blackhawks vs . Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field March 2 , 2013 Vancouver Canucks vs . Ottawa Senators at BC Place ( planned to be the Heritage Classic ) The middle four games are collectively being called the " Stadium Series 2014 " source : http : / / espn . go . com / nhl / story / _ / id / 9180372 / nhl - plans - 6 - outdoor - games - 2014 - including - los - angeles - new - york - chicago - vancouver - sources - say 2014 - 15 Season . The National Hockey League announced on their website nhl . com on September 21 , 2013 that the Washington Capitals will host the 2015 Winter Classic on January 1 , 2015 . According to the story , the venue has not been decided . The possible venues include RFK Stadium ( home of DC United of Major League Soccer ) , FedEx Field ( home of the NFL ' s Washington Redskins ) and Nationals Park ( home of MLB ' s Washington Nationals ) . No opponent was mentioned in the news story source : http : / / www . nhl . com / ice / news . htm ? id = 683348 & navid = nhl : topheads According to a published report on thescore . com the NHL is planning to have a total of five outdoor games during the season . Possible venues mentioned included : A 2015 Heritage Classic was also mentioned as a possiblity with no specific venue mentioned .