The slate of NHL Outdoor Games for the 2021-22 was announced on Monday as part of a big news day. Games include the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues as part of the Winter Classic and the Nashville Predators taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. That game will be at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Minnesota’s matchup with St. Louis will be played at Target Field. The NHL also announced the Canadian-based Heritage Classic will also return in 2022.
The 2021-22 NHL season will be jam-packed.
The NHL plans to host a @TimHortons #HeritageClassic in March, in addition to the #WinterClassic, @Honda #NHLAllStar Weekend and Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries.
More info: https://t.co/YwEjrz4yiX pic.twitter.com/3m7L0Q3Ugf
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 28, 2021
NHL Outdoor Games Slated for 2021-22 Season
These games are the first outdoor games that will have fans since the Winter Classic, Stadium Series and Heritage Classics got played in the 2019-20 season. The Winter Classic had been scheduled for the Twin Cities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it back to 2022. The Carolina Hurricanes were scheduled to have a Stadium Series game postponed last season, but that will likely be moved to 2022-23.
Last season did have two outdoor games, but they were in Lake Tahoe with limited team personnel allowed. No teams or sites were given for the Heritage Classic at this time. The Winter Classic is set for Jan. 1 while the Stadium Series game is Feb. 26.
Other News
It was a big day for the league as other news was announced for the upcoming season. ESPN will cover the Seattle Kraken expansion and NHL Drafts, with both being aired on ESPN2. The NHL All-Star Game in 2022 will be hosted be the Vegas Golden Knights. However, that could be changed if NHL players are allowed to go to the Olympics.
The Bell Centre in Montreal will serve as host for the 2022 NHL Draft. The 2020 edition was held virtually and so will the 2021 version. The 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on No.v 15 in Toronto after being delayed one year due to the coronavirus pandemic. There is no 2021 class, but things will return to normal for 2022.
