The Boston Bruins will host the 2023 NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park, the league announced Friday during All-Star Weekend festivities in Las Vegas.
It will be the fifth NHL regular-season outdoor game for the Bruins and the second time the Winter Classic has been played at Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. The Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime on Jan. 1, 2010, to win the third Winter Classic.
The 2023 game will mark the 15th anniversary of the inaugural game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres in Orchard Park, N.Y. That game, played on Jan. 1, 2008, marked the NHL beginning its tradition of hosting an outdoor game to start the new year.
The Bruins’ opponent and the confirmed date for the 2023 game have yet to be announced.
The St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-4 at Target Field in Minneapolis on Jan. 1 to win the 2022 Winter Classic.
The league also announced that the Carolina Hurricanes will become the 28th team to play an outdoor game for the first time next year when they host the NHL Stadium Series, which will be played at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., home of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The opponent and date have yet to be finalized.
The Hurricanes were originally scheduled to host an outdoor game this season, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL and the team agreed to postpone it.
In addition, the Florida Panthers were named hosts of the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend, with the Skills Competition on Feb. 3 and the NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 4. It’s the second time the Panthers were awarded All-Star Weekend, 20 years after they first hosted in 2003.
–Field Level Media