As the “pinnacle of hockey celebration,” Barry says the Winter Classic is part of capturing those irregular viewers, as the network will produce the event with an eye toward a wider audience.

Once the Panthers play in next year's Winter Classic, the only team that has yet to appear in an outdoor game is the Utah Hockey Club. The Smith Entertainment Group has told the NHL they are ...

Boot hockey, as they call it, is the game they play at the Isle aux Morts Winter Classic. "The first year there were 36 of us. And every year it's going bigger and bigger. Last year we had 150.