Utah Sports Ink · Hockey
The NHL Winter Classic comes to Rice-Eccles Stadium on New Year's Eve, and every one of these games has sold out. Here's what to know before you buy.
On the last afternoon of 2026, the Utah Mammoth will step onto an ice sheet built across the University of Utah's football field and take on the Colorado Avalanche in the Discover NHL Winter Classic. Puck drop is 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
It's a milestone for a team in only its third season. The Mammoth are the last of the NHL's 32 franchises to play an outdoor game, so once the puck drops in Salt Lake, every team in the league will have done it. This will be the 18th Winter Classic, a tradition the league started in 2008. It's also the Avalanche's first Winter Classic, though Colorado has played outdoors three times before.
Should you buy tickets now?
If you want to be there, don't wait. All 17 Winter Classics before this one have sold out, including the game at Michigan Stadium, which holds more than 105,000 people. Rice-Eccles seats a little over 50,000. When the game was announced in January, Mammoth owner Ryan Smith said the biggest challenge would be having enough tickets to meet demand.
Tickets went on sale June 16 through Ticketmaster. As of early November, no sellout had been announced, but resale listings were starting at roughly $250 to $300 a seat. Buying through Ticketmaster or the Mammoth means the seats you pay for are the seats you get. Prices on outside resale sites can climb quickly as the date gets closer.
Find Winter Classic TicketsA whole weekend, not just a game
Smith Entertainment Group, which owns the Mammoth and the Jazz, has built the game into a four-day celebration called Winter Weekend, Dec. 30 through Jan. 2. Each event is ticketed separately:
- Wed Dec 30 Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks, Delta Center
- Thu Dec 31 Winter Classic, Mammoth vs. Avalanche, Rice-Eccles Stadium, 4 p.m.
- Thu Dec 31 New Year's Eve Festival with Post Malone and special guest Alesso, Delta Center, 10 p.m.
- Fri Jan 1 Utah Jazz vs. Boston Celtics, Delta Center
- Sat Jan 2 Utah Mammoth vs. Vancouver Canucks, Delta Center
The late-afternoon puck drop is what makes the double-header work. Fans can watch the game outdoors, then head downtown to ring in 2027 with Post Malone. Organizers say more than 6,000 festival tickets are priced under $125.
Winter Weekend ScheduleA stadium with history
Rice-Eccles hosted the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and is set to do it again in 2034. Smith joked at the January announcement that the Winter Classic would be a dry run. The stadium sits at about 4,657 feet, with the Wasatch Range as the backdrop, which should make for one of the most scenic outdoor games the league has staged.
One practical note: Rice-Eccles normally doesn't sell alcohol, but officials say it will be available at the Winter Classic because it's a private event.
Before you go
This is an outdoor game in late December, starting in the afternoon and running past sunset. Dress in layers, bring gloves and a hat, and plan on a cold evening in the stands. Check the stadium's event page for bag rules, parking and transit details as they're posted.
If you can't get a seat, the game airs nationally on TNT. The Mammoth and Avalanche also meet at the Delta Center on Nov. 18, a good warm-up for the rivalry.
- NHL.com: Mammoth, Avalanche set for 2027 Winter Classic on New Year's Eve; Winter Classic tickets on sale
- University of Utah Rice-Eccles Stadium event page
- Ticketmaster: NHL Winter Classic
- Utah Winter Weekend (utahwinterweekend.com)
- Deseret News, ESPN, ABC4, KSL Sports, The Salt Lake Tribune
AI assisted in research and drafting this article.