2024 NHL Winter Classic

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2024 NHL Winter Classic
2024 NHL Winter Classic Logo.png
123Total
Vegas Golden Knights 0000
Seattle Kraken 1113
DateJanuary 1, 2024
Venue T-Mobile Park
City Seattle, Washington
Attendance47,313
  2023 2025  

The 2024 NHL Winter Classic was a regular season outdoor National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Seattle Kraken and the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. The game was played at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, before a crowd of 47,313 spectators. The Flames defeated the Canadiens by a score of 4–0 before a crowd of 41,022 spectators. The Kraken defeated the Golden Knights 3–0 and became the first team to earn a shutout in a Winter Classic. [1]

Contents

Background

T-Mobile Park during the Winter Classic 2024 NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park (20240106225501).jpg
T-Mobile Park during the Winter Classic

The league announced the game on January 2, 2023, before the start of the previous season's Winter Classic. [2] This was the first Winter Classic held in the Pacific Time Zone, as well as Seattle's first outdoor game. [3] Vegas previously appeared in the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe. [2]

This was also the first Winter Classic to take place in a stadium with a retractable roof. Due to Seattle's rainy climate that may have affected ice conditions, organizers planned on closing T-Mobile Park's retractable roof in case of heavy rainfall. [4] This could have resulted in the first "indoor" Winter Classic, and the first such game since the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place in Vancouver. However, on game day, the weather forecast was partly cloudy with a temperature of 44°F and only a 10% chance of rain, and the roof was left open during the game. [5]

The rink was surrounded by decorations in a nautical theme that reflected local heritage and the Kraken mythos; topographic designs were laid on the surface and the walkway between the rink and dugouts resembled docks and piers. A boathouse was used as a broadcast studio. [6] Construction of the rink began in December using a temporary ice plant to pump up to 3,000 US gallons (11,000 L) of glycol to create the rink surface. [7] A two-day fan festival was held on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in the north parking lot of Lumen Field, located adjacent to T-Mobile Park. The event included a mobile hockey museum and a display of the Stanley Cup. [8]

Both teams' uniforms were leaked to the public four days prior to their official unveiling on November 22, 2023. Players from the NBA's Utah Jazz were spotted wearing the Kraken's Winter Classic uniform inside the Delta Center, [9] while All Elite Wrestling host Renee Paquette wore the Golden Knights' Winter Classic uniform ahead of the promotion's Full Gear pay-per-view. [10] The Golden Knights wore faux-back 1917 vintage white uniforms with heritage gold stripes, gray pants and helmets, featuring a stylized gray "V" crest with petal accents and gold trim. The Kraken wore Seattle Metropolitans-inspired uniforms in the team's current colors, featuring barber-pole stripes in ice blue, vintage white and deep sea blue, and a stylized red "S" modeled after the team's logo. [11]

Game summary

Seven players scramble for the puck during the 2024 Winter Classic. Winter Classic - Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken - January 1, 2024 - Brayden Pachal, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, William Karlsson, Alec Martinez and Logan Thompson (53440834756).jpg
Seven players scramble for the puck during the 2024 Winter Classic.
Scoring summary [12]
PeriodTeamGoalAssist(s)TimeScore
1stSEA Eeli Tolvanen (10) Vince Dunn (25), Adam Larsson (9)4:501–0 SEA
2ndSEA Will Borgen (1) Tye Kartye (6), Eeli Tolvanen (13)2:192–0 SEA
3rdSEA Yanni Gourde (5)Unassisted2:103–0 SEA
Number in parentheses represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
Penalty summary [12]
PeriodTeamPlayerPenaltyTimePIM
1stNone
2ndSEAAdam Larsson Interference 16:392:00
3rdVGK Brayden McNabb Tripping 12:102:00
VGK Alex Pietrangelo Slashing 19:542:00
Three star selections [12]
TeamPlayerStatistics
1stSEA Joey Daccord 35 saves, 1.000 SV%
2ndSEAEeli Tolvanen1 goal, 1 assist
3rdSEAYanni Gourde1 goal

Team rosters

^ Jiri Patera and Chris Driedger dressed as the back-up goaltenders. Neither entered the game.

Scratches

Entertainment

The American national anthem was performed by 14-year-old guitarist Nikhil Bagga (who has also performed at select Kraken games at Climate Pledge Arena) accompanied by American Sign Language performer Brittany Rupik. Rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot performed during the player introductions while Seattle-based rock band Heart performed during the first intermission. [13]

During the pregame arrival for the teams, the Kraken wore outfits resembling workers from the Pike Place Fish Market, while the Golden Knights wore Elvis Presley costumes. The players were introduced during a ceremony that featured the Fish Market's employees tossing fish over the teams. [14]

Broadcasting

In the United States, the game was televised on TNT, simulcasted on TruTV, and streamed on Max. In Canada, the TNT feed was simulcast on Sportsnet and streamed on Sportsnet+. [15]

Television ratings

The 2024 NHL Winter Classic surpassed the 2022 game for the lowest ratings of any Winter Classic in the United States to date, with an average of 1.1 million American viewers watching the game. [16]

Related Research Articles

The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1915 to 1924. During their nine seasons, the Metropolitans were the PCHA's most successful franchise, as they went 112–96–2 in their nine years as a franchise. The Metropolitans also won the most regular season PCHA championships, winning five times, with Seattle finishing second on three other occasions. The Metropolitans played their home games at the 2,500 seat Seattle Ice Arena located downtown at 5th and University.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHL Winter Classic</span> Ice hockey game

The NHL Winter Classic is an annual outdoor ice hockey game played during the National Hockey League's (NHL) regular season on or around New Year's Day. It is generally held in a football or baseball stadium in the United States in an area with a resident NHL team, though for most of the game's existence, they are usually played in a baseball stadium to avoid scheduling and logistical conflicts with football stadiums during the National Football League regular season. The Winter Classic is distinct from the league's two other series of outdoor games, the NHL Heritage Classic and the NHL Stadium Series. The first Winter Classic was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Fifteen Winter Classics have been held as of January 2024. The most recent game was played during the 2023–24 NHL season at T-Mobile Park, with the Seattle Kraken defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3−0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 NHL Winter Classic</span> Outdoor National Hockey League game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The 2011 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2011, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fourth edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Washington Capitals against the Pittsburgh Penguins; the Capitals won, 3–1. The game, rescheduled from its original 1:00 p.m. ET start time to 8:00 p.m. due to weather concerns, was telecast on NBC in the United States, and CBC (English) and RDS (French) in Canada. Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho performed the Star Spangled Banner and Pittsburgh sports legends Mario Lemieux, Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis presided over the ceremonial dropping of the puck, and during the second intermission Harris and Bettis hosted a fan event at the outside rink.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Daccord</span> American ice hockey player (born 1996)

Joel "Joey" Daccord is a Swiss-Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 199th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL entry draft.

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References

  1. Baker, Geoff (January 1, 2023). "Kraken's Joey Daccord shines in shutout win over Vegas in NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park". The Seattle Times . Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Rosen, Dan (January 2, 2023). "Kraken to host 2024 NHL Winter Classic, face Vegas at Mariners stadium". NHL. NHL. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  3. McDaniel, Mike (January 2, 2023). "2024 NHL Winter Classic Outdoor Game to Be Held in Seattle". SI.com. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. Booth, Tim (January 2, 2023). "NHL announces Winter Classic in 2024 will be at T-Mobile Park". The Everett Herald . Associated Press. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  5. Brehm, Mike (December 31, 2023). "2024 Winter Classic: Live stream, time, weather, how to watch Golden Knights at Kraken". USA Today . Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. Shefte, Kate (December 21, 2023). "Here's how the T-Mobile Park field will look for Kraken's Winter Classic game". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  7. Shefte, Kate (December 21, 2023). "Inside T-Mobile Park, preparation for 2024 Winter Classic running smoothly". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. Baker, Geoff (December 14, 2023). "NHL announces two-day outdoor Fan Village surrounding Kraken's Winter Classic game". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  9. Lukas, Paul (November 18, 2023). "Bizarre Development: Utah Jazz Apparently Leak Seattle Kraken Winter Classic Jersey". Uni-Watch. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  10. Hecken, Phil (November 18, 2023). "Looks Like the Vegas Winter Classic Jersey Has Leaked". Uni-Watch. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  11. "Winter Classic jerseys for Kraken, Golden Knights unveiled". NHL.com. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Game Summary - 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic - Monday, January 1, 2024". National Hockey League . January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  13. Phair, Vonnai (December 21, 2023). "Heart, Sir Mix-a-Lot to perform at 2024 NHL Winter Classic in Seattle". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  14. Shefte, Kate (January 1, 2014). "Pike Place Market fishmongers real and fake highlight wild NHL Winter Classic". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  15. "What channel is the Winter Classic on? Time, TV schedule, live stream for 2024 Golden Knights vs. Kraken game". Sporting News. December 31, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  16. "2024 NHL Winter Classic is least-watched edition on record". Sports Pro Media. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.