NHL takes Winter Classic to Cotton Bowl for Stars-Predators matchup

The NHL’s Winter Classic, a New Year’s tradition for the league, will have a southern flair to it in 2020.

The next iteration of the outdoor game will take place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, for a matchup between the hometown Stars and the Nashville Predators.

While the site is no surprise – it was announced during the 2018 Winter Classic at Notre Dame — the league’s move away from its usual subset of teams certainly is. The game will mark the first inclusion of both teams in an outdoor game.

“The opportunity to be a part of another one of the NHL’s premier events on an international stage at the 2020 NHL Winter Classic is so exciting and would not be possible without our passionate fans and the entire Smashville community,” Predators President and CEO Sean Henry said. “We look forward to working with the League, the Dallas Stars and the city of Dallas to make this the best Winter Classic in the series’ 12-year history.”

The stadium has a capacity of 92,100, though it held upwards of 96,000 for 2009’s Red River Shootout game. The attendance record for an NHL outdoor game is 105,491, coming at the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Tickets for the game are not yet available, and Winter Classic jerseys for the Predators and Stars — usually a nod to a franchise’s history — will be announced at a later date.