For the 2023 Winter Classic, the NHL will return to Fenway Park.
The Boston Bruins will host the outdoor game on January 1st, according to Commissioner Gary Bettman. The Winter Classic was last held at Fenway Park in 2010, when the Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime.
The opponent for Boston is yet to be determined. However, considering that the Fenway Sports Group already owns both Fenway Park and the club, and that sale was approved by the NHL in December 2021, it’s widely assumed it’ll be the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It’s been 12 years since we went to Fenway. A lot of money has been put into the building. It’s not quite the same ballpark. Boston is obviously a great hockey town ” Bettman stated.
It’s the first time the NHL has played an outdoor game in the same location. Given how many outdoor events the NHL has hosted since the first Winter Classic in 2008, Bettman said it was bound to happen.
He stated, “We’ve now done over 30 outdoor games.”
The first Fenway Park Winter Classic was the third edition of the event, which has become more aesthetically pleasing over the years thanks to NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer’s guidance. For the first Fenway Classic, he was not with the League.
A reorientation of the rink from the 2010 game, as well as some creative usage of the Green Monster, could be part of the return visit to Fenway.
The NHL also announced that the Carolina Hurricanes will play in a Stadium Series game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., which is home to the NC State Wolfpack. It will be the Hurricanes’ first regular-season outdoor game, and they will be the 28th NHL team to do so.
The game is set to take place in 2023. It was supposed to happen in the 2021-22 season, but the Hurricanes and the NHL “mutual agreement” that it should be postponed because of fan safety concerns.
In other indoor hockey news, the NHL’s All-Star Weekend will be held in South Florida in 2023, with the Florida Panthers hosting the event at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. The All-Star Skills Competition will take place on February 3rd, followed by the All-Star Game on February 4th. The NHL All-Star Game was previously hosted by the Panthers in 2003.
Finally, the NHL has confirmed that the Global Series, an international hockey tournament, will be revived for the 2022-23 season. Preseason games will be held in Switzerland and Germany, as well as regular-season games in Finland and the Czech Republic.
“It’s a no-brainer,” said Bill Daly, deputy commissioner. “We had established momentum in terms of having a greater and more regular presence with games in Europe. With the pandemic waning, and hopefully with a return to normalcy, it only makes sense to restart those efforts and further them.”
Since November 2019, the NHL has not played a game outside of North America.