The NHL announced on January 1, 2020, that the 2021 Winter Classic would be hosted by theMinnesota Wild atTarget Field.[2] The league then announced on February 23, 2020, that the St. Louis Blues would be the visiting team.[3] The league had previously contemplated Target Field as a host for a Winter Classic game, touring the stadium both in 2018 and 2019, and observing how the city hosted theNCAA Final Four in 2019.[4] It was to be the Wild's second outdoor game after hosting the2016 NHL Stadium Series against theChicago Blackhawks atTCF Bank Stadium.[2] This was also to be the Blues' second outdoor game after hosting the2017 NHL Winter Classic against the Blackhawks atBusch Stadium.[3]
The NHL delayed the start of the2020–21 season to January 2021, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic having forced the2019–20 playoffs to conclude in late-September. If the Winter Classic were to be held, it would have likely served as the season opener for both teams.[5] On October 22, 2020, the NHL announced that the 2021 Winter Classic, and the2021 All-Star Game inSunrise, Florida, had been postponed due to "uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games," as fan participation and accompanying events are considered "integral to the[ir] success." The NHL stated that both events would not return until 2022 at the earliest, and that these events could be held in Minneapolis and Sunrise "in the near future" (but not yet naming them the 2022 hosts).[6][7]
On June 28, 2021, the league confirmed that the Winter Classic between the Blues and the Wild at Target Field would be scheduled for 2022.[1] The league further announced on September 27, 2021, that it would be the first Winter Classic scheduled for primetime,[Notes 1] avoiding a repeat of the sunlight and heat issues that occurred during the previous season'sNHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe.[8]
With various December 2021 games being postponed league-wide due to COVID-19 outbreaks among a large number of teams, the NHL remained adamant about holding the Winter Classic as scheduled.[9] With the game time temperature at −5.7 °F (−20.9 °C), this was the coldest NHL outdoor game in history.[10]
The 2022 NHL Winter Classic surpassed the2017 game for the lowest ratings of any Winter Classic in the United States, with an average of less than 1.36 million American viewers watching the game. The2024 game would surpass this game with less than 1.1 million viewers watching.
^The2011 NHL Winter Classic was the first Winter Classic to be played on primetime; however, it was rescheduled from its original 1:00 P.M. ET start due to weather concerns.
