The 2023 NHL Winter Classic will get underway on Monday at Fenway Park between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Monday, the league also officially announced where the 2024 edition will take place as well and they’re going from East Coast to West Coast.
“The NHL announces the Winter Classic will be in Seattle next year, where the Golden Knights will face the Kraken,” wrote Las Vegas Sun writer Danny Webster.
This will be the first outdoor game involving the Kraken, who are in their second season in the NHL. The game will be held at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners.
It’s the second outdoor game for the Knights, who played the Colorado Avalanche in 2021 at Lake Tahoe.
Kraken COO Victor De Bonis had told ESPN in September that the team had told the league they wanted to host a major event, such as an All-Star Game or outdoor game.
“We’ve always expressed interest in doing these events as we start a new franchise and build our fan base here,” De Bonis said.
The NHL world had some strong reactions to the news of the two most recent expansion teams meeting outdoors in 2024.
“Credit where credit’s due: The NHL doing a Kraken-Golden Knights winter classic in Seattle is a very good idea,” wrote The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler.
Credit where credit’s due: The NHL doing a Kraken-Golden Knights winter classic in Seattle is a very good idea.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 2, 2023
“I like giving the new guys a chance,” said Bleacher Report’s Sara Civ.
Next year's winter classic will be Kraken vs Golden Knights at T Mobile Park. I like giving the new guys a chance
— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) January 2, 2023
“This will be a fun one next year,” said CBS Sports’ Chris Bengel.
The NHL's two most recent expansion teams will do battle in the 2024 Classic when the #Kraken host the #GoldenKnights. This will be a fun one next year! https://t.co/iWHEKnDVcF
— Chris (@CBengelCBS) January 2, 2023
