Where Will the 2025 Winter Classic Be?

Normally at some point during the Winter Classic, Gary Bettman announces the site of the next game and the teams playing.  This time, he didn't do that.  He mentioned how the NHL wants to do a best-on-best international tournament next season (more on that later), but nothing about the 2025 Winter Classic.  Which, of course, leads to plenty of speculation about both the location and participating teams.

I have no idea which way the NHL is leaning for the Winter Classic, but I do know who I'd like to see.  The Colorado Avalanche have, amazingly, never played in the Winter Classic.  (Neither have the Lightning for that matter.)  I'm rectifying that in 2025 and having the Avalanche not just play in the Winter Classic.  I'm having them host it.

Now, while they've never played in the Winter Classic, the Avalanche have played in two outdoor games.  They had a Stadium Series game against the Kings at the Air Force Academy a few years ago, and they played the Golden Knights at that spectacular setting on the 18th hole of the Lake Tahoe golf course during the COVID season.  But the Winter Classic is the NHL's marquee regular season event and the Avalanche are the most prominent team to have never played in it, so it seems like a no-brainer to have them host one.

For their opponent, I have a few ideas.  The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the most frequent Winter Classic participants, having played in four of them.  Plus, they now have Conor Bedard, who you know the NHL would love to showcase.  Some Blackhawks fatigue definitely set in, though, which, combined with the fact that the team hasn't been very good for a few years, is why they haven't played in the Winter Classic in a while.  And I don't think they will next year, either.

The St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings could also be possibilities, as well.  The Blues are a division rival, while the Avalanche and Red Wings had an outstanding rivalry in the 90s.  They aren't even in the same conference anymore, though, so that matchup doesn't quite have the same panache had it been played then.  I'm really only including it here because I'd love to see that Alumni Game!

So, if the Blues, Red Wings and Blackhawks are all out, who should the Avalanche play?  The answer is the Dallas Stars.  Colorado won the Stanley Cup in 2022, Dallas made the Western Conference Final last season, and they're both at the top of the Central Division standings (where they figure to also finish), so the matchup makes sense competitively.  It's two good teams from major markets who've never met in a Winter Classic before (they haven't repeated a matchup yet, and I doubt they will anytime soon).

As for where in Denver to play it, Coors Field seems like the obvious answer.  There's a reason Winter Classics have primarily taken place in baseball stadiums.  Baseball's not in season and those stadiums have very little use in the winter, so they're available and the NHL has plenty of time to set up the ice, etc.  Although, while much more challenging, using a football stadium isn't impossible.  And I think using Empower Field at Mile High (the current name of the Broncos' stadium) could actually work.

Only three previous Winter Classics have been held in NFL stadiums--2008 in Buffalo, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, and 2016 in Foxboro.  In 2016, the Patriots played their final two regular season games on the road to accommodate the Winter Classic, with the stadium then immediately being converted back to football in time for the playoffs.  In 2011, meanwhile, New Year's Day was the only time the Steelers even made the stadium available so that it could be ready for the playoffs.

With the extra week in the NFL season now, though, I think playing at Empower Field could actually be doable.  Especially since New Year's Day 2025 is a Wednesday.  That means the Week 17 Sunday games are on December 29, the Week 18 games are on January 4-5, and the playoffs don't start until January 11.  So, the Broncos could play a Thursday night game on December 19 and play on the road in both Weeks 17 & 18, which would give the NHL 10 days to set up the ice and 10 to break it down before a possible Broncos home playoff game (and the only way for that to happen would be Denver winning the AFC West).  While that's a quicker turnaround than usual, it's still plenty of time.

That, to me, is the ideal setting and matchup for the 2025 Winter Classic.  The Avalanche vs. the Stars from Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.  There are probably other options being considered, and I'm sure that even though they haven't said anything publicly, the NHL has already chosen a site and matchup.  They know who'll be playing and where, they're just waiting to announce it, whether that's at the All-Star Game, at the Stadium Series, or some other time.

Or maybe the NHL is holding the 2025 Winter Classic announcement because they want to announce something else first, and they don't want to do that until all of the details are finalized.  What I'm talking about is a best-on-best international tournament, which seems to be something the NHL wants to happen.  And Bettman all but confirmed it's happening during his interview (while also taking some barbs at the NBA about the In-Season Tournament).

What's ironic here, of course, is that the NHL isn't talking about the Olympics or World Cup of Hockey here.  The NHL knows the players want to play in the Olympics, but hasn't let them since 2014 (although, to be fair, an agreement was in place to go to Beijing 2022 before COVID-related schedule changes resulted in the league having to drop out).  And to say the World Cup of Hockey is played "sporadically" would be generous.

As a result, there's a whole generation of young NHL stars who've never represented their country at a senior international tournament.  Players like Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel, Matty Beiners, Seth Jones, Adam Fox and Connor Hellebuyck have never worn a Team USA sweater at the senior level.  Connor McDavid, Mathew Barzal and Cale Makar have never represented Canada.  That's all kinds of wrong!

Whether the NHL eventually goes back to the Olympics or not seems like a Games-by-Games scenario.  Either way, the next Winter Olympics aren't until 2026 anyway.  Although, despite their issues with the IOC, they do like the idea of the international tournament.  And it wouldn't make sense to do another World Cup unless and until Russia is able to participate.  The timing of the World Cup isn't great, either.  All three have been played in the summer before the start of the season (in 2004, the World Cup ended up being the last competitive hockey played for the better part of a year since it immediately preceded the season-long lockout).

Those are just two of the factors that the NHL has taken into consideration with what appears to be the creation of its own international tournament, which looks like it will take place for the first time next February (creating a built in break for the 2026 Olympics?).  How many teams and where the games would be played are among the details to be worked out, but you'd have to imagine that, at the very least, the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland would be involved.  So, I'm curious to see if this tournament will actually happen and what it'll look like.  Especially since Gary Bettman sure gave the impression that the league and the players both want it.

At some point soon, the NHL will make its announcements regarding 2025 (we don't know where the All-Star Game will be, either).  Whether or not the international tournament comes to fruition, we know there will be a Winter Classic.  And I can't think of a better matchup or setting than Avalanche-Stars at the Broncos' Empower Field at Mile High.