How the NHL is bringing the ski slopes inside Rice-Eccles Stadium

Signage for the National Hockey League’s 2027 Winter Classic is displayed before a press conference held by the Utah Mammoth and NHL at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News Outdoor NHL games count the same as every other contest — two points in the standings. But that’s the last thing people remember about events like the Winter Classic.NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer and his team have spent the last year devising the best possible game-day experience for fans at the New Year’s Eve game between the Utah Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium.In an exclusive interview with the Deseret News, he laid out his plan.“What we’re building out is a bit of a winter wonderland,” Mayer said. “And there’s probably no better place to build that out than in Utah, given the proximity to the ski resorts.“We’re building out a ski resort on the field and in that stadium, and that’s sort of the overall look and feel for our game.”What does he mean when he says they’re building out a ski resort? He means they’re literally building an area to ski.There’s a large amount of open space between the rink and the stands, given the size disparity between a hockey rink and the football field that the stadium was built to house. The NHL is putting an actual, functioning cross-country skiing track in that space.The musician headlining the intermission show has yet to be announced, but the plan is for the artist to utilize the ski track while performing.Mayer’s team is also exploring the possibility of building either a ski lift or a mountain in the corner of the stadium, which he says is made possible because of the height of Rice-Eccles Stadium. In addition, the players will enter through a “ski chalet/cabin” and there will be a large fire pit to stay cozy.The other climate in the state of Utah will be represented in the form of red rock, just as it is in the game’s official logo.“Our goal is that when a fan not in the stadium — when a fan in New York City, in Miami, Florida, in Munich, Germany — tunes into the game, they know that we’re in Utah. ... It’s a showcase for Salt Lake City. This is our chance to show off that area to the world.”A big focus of Mayer’s team is to cultivate the perfect first impression for when walking into the stadium. The “wow” factor is an invaluable part of the experience.“Being in Utah, for us, is really exciting,” he said. “I mean, the backdrop is absolutely awesome. And that obviously is going to lead to how the field is designed and the activities that we’ll have around the game.“Our goal every one of these games is to have that fan who is in that seat when they walk into the stadium go, ‘Whoa. Wow. Like, this is cool.’ It’s that first impression that we work really hard on.”The rest of the game-day experience should be spectacular as well. The Mammoth already announced a weekend full of activities centering around the event, including a Post Malone concert, Mammoth and Jazz games and a youth hockey tournament.Add to the list a pregame party outside the arena with food and beverage vendors, music and games, alumni appearances and photo opportunities with NHL trophies; A flyover right when the sun goes down; pyrotechnics and fireworks and more details to be announced as the game inches closer.Mayer also mentioned that fans will want to be sure they’re in place to see the teams’ walk-in outfits — you could even call them costumes — which have become a staple of outdoor games league-wide.“It’s gonna be a great day,” Mayer said. Fireworks explode during the Star-Spangled Banner before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor game featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Chicago. | Erin Hooley, Associated Press Why did the Mammoth get an outdoor game so early in their existence?Mammoth fans, you can pat yourselves on the back. You were a major reason why the NHL felt comfortable putting an outdoor game in Utah less than three years into the Mammoth’s existence.“We just don’t hand these out,” Mayer said, referring to big events like the Winter Classic. “I mean, we go to a franchise that we also believe will be able to fill the stadium with their fans and create like an environment of excitement.That’s exactly what the NHL sees in Utah.“The fan base is, like, so rampant about the team,” Mayer said. “They’re so excited about everything the team does, and we responded to that.“... To see the fan base immediately from the first night till now, take to the team and also to see how the team has taken to Salt Lake, how much they’ve been embedded into the community, how much they love the community, I mean, it’s a strong, strong franchise.”What impressed the NHL about Rice-Eccles Stadium?Mayer has been to “hundreds” of stadiums, not only in North America but around the world (he’s also in charge of the league’s Global Series events, where teams play games in Europe, Asia and elsewhere). Rice-Eccles Stadium checks every box.“We do these in NFL stadiums, college stadiums. This is high class,” he said. “You know, the football stadium, especially at a major college, for us, it’s great to work in. They have every facility we would ever need. They do games all the time that are of this caliber, so they know how to handle this amount of people.”The league has sold out every fan-attended outdoor game it has ever staged, and it was important to do that in Utah — something Mayer says they are on track to do. “(Rice-Eccles Stadium) was something that made the decision very easy,” he said. “I mean, it’s just a beautiful, beautiful place for us to work. And, you know, no one at the NHL is complaining that our home for three weeks in December will be Salt Lake City, Utah. That’s not a bad place to be.”The stadium does not have a retractable roof, so the potential for the elements to alter the game is there. But after hosting an outdoor game in a roofless stadium in Tampa, Florida last season, this should be a walk in the park.Besides, Logan Cooley said he wants it to snow, just like it did at the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. Signage for the National Hockey League’s 2027 Winter Classic is displayed after a press conference held by the Utah Mammoth and the NHL at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News