SEATTLE — It was just over two years ago that the Seattle Kraken played the first regular-season game in franchise history against the Vegas Golden Knights, marking the return of the National Hockey League (NHL) to the Pacific Northwest.
On the first day of the 2024 calendar year, the Kraken and Golden Knights will again face off as one of the sport's most beloved traditions arrives in Seattle. The NHL Winter Classic will pit the two Pacific Division foes against each other inside T-Mobile Park, the home of the Mariners.
Here's everything you should know about the history of the NHL Winter Classic and what fans should expect to see on New Year's Day.
What is the Winter Classic?
Each year, the NHL hosts at least one high-profile game in an outdoor venue. A football or baseball stadium is generally utilized as crews create a makeshift playing surface on top of the field.
Recent hosts of the Winter Classic have been Fenway Park in Boston and Target Field in Minneapolis. The 2024 Winter Classic will not be the only outdoor hockey game of the season, however.
The Heritage Classic also always features an outdoor game, but it traditionally is hosted by one of the Canadian Football League's stadiums and has featured exclusively Canadian NHL teams except for one appearance by the Buffalo Sabres. The 2023 Heritage Classic featured the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames playing at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.
The 2024 Winter Classic also won't be the final outdoor game of the NHL regular season. In February, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will be the site of a pair of NHL games. First, the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers will play on Feb. 17. The following day, the NHL's two New York teams -- the Rangers and Islanders -- will take the ice.
Why is the game at T-Mobile Park?
Although the last few Winter Classics have been at baseball venues, quite a few outdoor NHL games have been held at American or Canadian football stadiums that are designed for larger crowds.
One issue with an NFL stadium hosting the Winter Classic specifically is the impact setting up a regulation ice hockey surface has on a football field. Considering Lumen Field is scheduled to host a Seahawks game against the Pittsburgh Steelers the day before the Winter Classic, the prior set-up required would not be possible until less than 24 hours before the game.
Another reason is that Seattle's ever-present threat of rain led organizers to seek a facility that had a retractable roof. T-Mobile Park has such a feature, while Lumen Field right next door does not. Heavy rain would cause a postponement or even cancellation of the event potentially. T-Mobile Park could close its roof and still give the game an outdoor feel while preventing the playing surface from being flooded by rain.
When is the Winter Classic in Seattle?
The puck is scheduled to drop between the Kraken and Golden Knights at noon on Jan. 1, 2024.
The game will be nationally televised on TNT.
Who will the Kraken play in the NHL Winter Classic?
The Kraken is matched up against one of, if not the best team in the league: the Vegas Golden Knights. Only one other Western Conference group has more points so far this season, and the Golden Knights are coming off winning the Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season.
The Kraken, meanwhile, have stumbled out of the gate this season and haven't found quite as much success in Year 3 as the club saw in the franchise's second year. The Kraken are fourth in the Pacific Division but have won three games in a row as of Thursday morning. The team will have one final game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday before Monday's Winter Classic.
