The NHL just unveiled the 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic logo for the Utah Mammoth's first outdoor game, set for New Year's Eve at Rice-Eccles Stadium against the Colorado Avalanche. It is the eighteenth Winter Classic mark since the league launched the outdoor game on New Year's Day 2008 in Buffalo, and the latest entry in one of the most consistently watched logo programs in pro sports. Below, every Winter Classic logo from 2008 to 2027, the full visual history, and every outdoor game logo ranked best to worst. For more sports logo history coverage, see our Stanley Cup Final Logo History, NBA Finals Logo History, and Super Bowl Logo History breakdowns.
The 2027 NHL Winter Classic Logo
The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic logo is built around the Utah identity. A hexagonal shield, a snow-capped mountain range pulled directly out of the Wasatch behind Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Winter Classic script wordmark across the middle, Discover lockup under the wordmark, and UTAH stamped at the bottom point of the hex. The whole composition sits over a winter-sky photo background that gives the mark some atmospheric depth.
We like the mountain motif. The hexagon was a smart choice for a state whose own outdoor branding has leaned into the geometric desert-and-mountain visual language for years. The Avalanche-Mammoth matchup is also one of the cleanest visual rivalries the Winter Classic has had in a while given the burgundy-and-blue Avalanche road set against whatever Mammoth specialty sweater Utah cooks up for the night. The atmospheric photo background is the only piece we are lukewarm on. The Winter Classic logo program has historically worked best with cleaner backdrops, and the photo treatment makes the mark feel more like a marketing key art than a logo. Still strong overall.
ColorWay Sports Grade
B+
Every NHL Winter Classic Logo, 2008 to 2027
Eighteen Winter Classic logos across nineteen scheduled outdoor games. The 2013 Winter Classic between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings at Michigan Stadium was cancelled by the NHL lockout. The 2021 game between the Blues and Wild at Target Field was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled to 2022 with new branding. Every other year has produced a custom logo for the matchup, the venue, and the year.
2008 · Penguins at Sabres · Ralph Wilson Stadium
2008 · Grade B+
The original. The Winter Classic kicked off on New Year's Day 2008 with Sidney Crosby's snowy shootout winner against the Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, and the logo that announced the franchise to the world is a clean wordmark over a horizontal banner with the NHL shield top-left and the year stamped center. It does not try to do too much because it did not need to. The Winter Classic concept was the headline. The logo gets credit for laying the visual foundation every year after has built on top of. B+.
2009 · Red Wings at Blackhawks · Wrigley Field
2009 · Grade A-
The Wrigley Field marquee is one of the most recognizable signs in American sports and the 2009 Winter Classic logo borrowed it directly. The shape of the mark is the marquee. The colors are the Cubs reds and Wrigley blues. The Winter Classic script lives across the middle with WRIGLEY FIELD on the bottom banner. The first time the Winter Classic visited a baseball cathedral and the logo absolutely understood the moment. One of the strongest outdoor-game marks in the run. A-.
2010 · Flyers at Bruins · Fenway Park
2010 · Grade A-
The follow-up to Wrigley landed at Fenway and got the Fenway-green badge treatment. A shield with the stadium silhouette behind the Winter Classic wordmark, the BOSTON 2010 lockup at the bottom, and the deep Fenway green carrying the whole composition. Cleaner than 2009 but with less of a visual punch because the Fenway color story is harder to nail than the Wrigley marquee shape. Still a strong second-year mark. A-.
2011 · Capitals at Penguins · Heinz Field
2011 · Grade B
Heinz Field hosted in 2011 and the logo leans hard into Pittsburgh black and gold. The Heinz Field silhouette, the Winter Classic wordmark, the PITTSBURGH 2011 lockup at the bottom. The HBO 24/7 series turned this game into a cultural event but the logo itself does not quite match the heat the matchup carried. The Steel City color story works, the composition is a little busy, the typography is a touch dated. B.
2012 · Rangers at Flyers · Citizens Bank Park
2012 · Grade B
The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic era. The 2012 logo introduced the title-sponsor lockup that the league has run in some form across most of the program since, with Bridgestone stamped under the wordmark. Citizens Bank Park as the backdrop, blue and white as the dominant palette, PHILADELPHIA 2012 at the bottom. The composition is clean but the title sponsor inclusion takes some of the heritage feel out of the mark. B.
2013 · CANCELLED · The Lockout Year
The 2012-13 NHL lockout cancelled the season's first half and erased the originally scheduled 2013 Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium. The matchup was preserved and rescheduled to 2014 with new branding. No 2013 mark exists in the official Winter Classic visual record.
2014 · Maple Leafs at Red Wings · Michigan Stadium
2014 · Grade A
The Big House. 105,491 fans inside Michigan Stadium on New Year's Day 2014 for the biggest crowd in NHL history. The logo carries the moment with a shield format, the Michigan Stadium silhouette built in, the Winter Classic wordmark across the front, and THE BIG HOUSE subtitle stamped underneath like a sub-brand of its own. Easily one of the most iconic Winter Classic marks because the design committed to the venue and let the venue do the rest. A.
2015 · Blackhawks at Capitals · Nationals Park
2015 · Grade B+
DC's first Winter Classic at Nationals Park got a vertical badge with the Washington Monument-style obelisk worked into the composition behind the Winter Classic wordmark. The WASHINGTON D.C. lockup runs along the bottom. The patriotic-red palette pulls the Capitals identity in cleanly. We like the obelisk callout and the vertical orientation gives the mark a different posture than the horizontal shields of earlier years. B+.
2016 · Canadiens at Bruins · Gillette Stadium
2016 · Grade B
The Habs-Bruins Original Six matchup at Gillette Stadium got a shield with the stadium silhouette and the Winter Classic wordmark. The Gillette setting in football country gave the game a different visual register than the baseball-park editions and the logo reflects it. Clean execution, less of a venue-specific landmark moment than Wrigley or the Big House. B.
2017 · Blackhawks at Blues · Busch Stadium
2017 · Grade A-
The Gateway Arch built into a vertical shield format with the Winter Classic wordmark anchored beneath it and the ST. LOUIS lockup at the bottom. The arch is one of the cleanest civic landmarks any Winter Classic logo has had to work with and the design committed to it the way the 2014 mark committed to the Big House. Simple, regional, instantly readable. A-.
2018 · Rangers at Sabres · Citi Field
2018 · Grade B+
The Winter Classic turned ten in 2018 and the logo carried a 10TH ANNIVERSARY ribbon across the top to mark the milestone. Citi Field in Queens hosted the Sabres against the Rangers in a New York-region matchup that closed the loop on the program's first decade since the inaugural Buffalo game. We like the anniversary stamp and the New York palette. B+.
2019 · Blackhawks at Bruins · Notre Dame Stadium
2019 · Grade A-
The first Winter Classic at a college campus and the logo absolutely committed to the Notre Dame visual language. Shamrock-green shield, gold typography, NOTRE DAME STADIUM stamped at the bottom. The campus-stadium setting was a swing for the league and the logo backed it up. One of the most distinct Winter Classic marks in the run on the strength of the color story alone. A-.
2020 · Predators at Stars · Cotton Bowl
2020 · Grade B
Dallas hosted at the Cotton Bowl and the logo got a shield with the venue and the Dallas-Nashville rivalry built in. Bridgestone title sponsorship stamped underneath. The Cotton Bowl is a historic venue but it does not carry the same instant landmark recognition that Wrigley or Fenway did, and the logo reflects the more generic shield treatment. B.
2021 · CANCELLED · The COVID Year
The 2021 Winter Classic between the Blues and the Wild at Target Field was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The matchup was preserved and pushed a full year, eventually running as the 2022 Winter Classic with new branding. No 2021 logo exists in the official Winter Classic visual record.
2022 · Blues at Wild · Target Field
2022 · Grade C+
The Discover NHL Winter Classic era begins. Bridgestone is out as title sponsor, Discover is in. The 2022 logo is the most generic mark in the run, a clean Winter Classic wordmark with Discover stamped underneath and a Minnesota wordmark at the bottom. The Target Field setting deserved a stronger custom design and the Discover transition seems to have stripped some of the venue-specific identity work out of the program. The weakest Winter Classic logo of the modern era. C+.
2023 · Penguins at Bruins · Fenway Park
2023 · Grade B+
Fenway Park back again for its second Winter Classic, this time with the Bruins facing the Penguins. The 2023 mark is a tighter, simpler design than the 2010 Fenway logo with a clean shield and the Discover lockup. The Bruins were in the middle of their centennial season and the green-and-gold palette ties cleanly to the broader Boston anniversary branding. Solid recovery from the 2022 letdown. B+.
2024 · Golden Knights at Kraken · T-Mobile Park
2024 · Grade B+
Seattle's first Winter Classic and the logo took the chance to debut the Pacific Northwest in the program with a clean shield, the Space Needle silhouette, and the Kraken deep-sea palette. The Kraken were still a young franchise and the league gave them a real visual moment with this one. B+.
2025 · Blues at Blackhawks · Wrigley Field
2025 · Grade A-
The Winter Classic returned to Wrigley Field sixteen years after the 2009 game and the logo absolutely understood the assignment. The Wrigley Field marquee shape, the bold Blackhawks red, the cursive Winter Classic wordmark inside the marquee. A direct visual callback to the 2009 logo that made Wrigley one of the program's signature venues. A-.
2026 · Rangers at Panthers · LoanDepot Park
2026 · Grade B+
The Winter Classic in Miami. Palm trees behind the wordmark, a tropical-warm palette that flips the entire visual register of the program, the Panthers identity carrying the home-team energy. The retractable-roof LoanDepot Park is the most unusual outdoor-game venue the Winter Classic has run, and the logo embraces the off-brand nature of a January hockey game in Florida instead of trying to hide it. We give it credit for the palm trees. B+.
2027 · Avalanche at Mammoth · Rice-Eccles Stadium
The new entry covered up top: hexagonal shield, Wasatch mountain motif, Discover lockup, UTAH at the bottom, photo background. The first outdoor game in Utah Mammoth franchise history. Graded B+ for the mountain motif and the venue-specific commitment, with the photo background being the only piece keeping it out of the A range. See the dedicated section above for the full breakdown.
NHL Winter Classic Logos Ranked Best to Worst
After eighteen years of outdoor branding, the ranking from best mark to weakest:
- 2014 · The Big House (A) — Michigan Stadium, the 105K crowd, the venue-as-subtitle, the heaviest moment in Winter Classic history with a logo to match.
- 2009 · Wrigley Field (A-) — The Wrigley marquee borrowed directly as the shape of the mark. The cleanest single-idea design in the program.
- 2017 · Busch Stadium · St. Louis Arch (A-) — The Gateway Arch as the centerpiece of a vertical shield. Instantly readable and committed to the venue.
- 2019 · Notre Dame Stadium (A-) — Shamrock green, Notre Dame gold, college-stadium debut. The strongest color story in the run.
- 2010 · Fenway Park (A-) — Fenway green, the original visit to the Boston ballpark, clean shield execution.
- 2025 · Wrigley Field return (A-) — A direct visual callback to 2009 that bookended Wrigley's role in the program.
- 2008 · Buffalo (B+) — The inaugural mark. Holds up on heritage alone.
- 2018 · Citi Field · 10th Anniversary (B+) — Anniversary ribbon carries it across the line.
- 2023 · Fenway Park return (B+) — Cleaner second Fenway mark, ties to the Bruins centennial.
- 2024 · T-Mobile Park · Seattle (B+) — Space Needle silhouette and Kraken-era debut.
- 2026 · LoanDepot Park · Miami (B+) — Palm trees. Off-brand in the best way.
- 2027 · Rice-Eccles Stadium · Utah (B+) — Hexagonal mountain shield, Mammoth debut, photo backdrop softens the design.
- 2015 · Nationals Park · DC (B+) — Obelisk callout, vertical orientation, patriotic palette.
- 2011 · Heinz Field (B) — Pittsburgh black and gold, slightly busy composition.
- 2012 · Citizens Bank Park · Philadelphia (B) — Clean, Bridgestone era opens.
- 2016 · Gillette Stadium (B) — Habs-Bruins, football-country setting, generic shield.
- 2020 · Cotton Bowl · Dallas (B) — Bridgestone era, less-iconic venue.
- 2022 · Target Field · Minneapolis (C+) — Discover era opens with the weakest custom design in the run.
The Bottom Line on NHL Winter Classic Logo History
The Winter Classic logo program has produced more strong marks than weak ones across eighteen years, which is unusual for any annual sports-event branding run. The pattern that holds: the logos that commit to a venue (Wrigley, Fenway, the Big House, the Gateway Arch, Notre Dame, T-Mobile Park, Wrigley again) outperform the logos that lean on generic shield templates with the venue tucked in as a footnote (2016 Gillette, 2020 Cotton Bowl, 2022 Target Field). The 2027 Utah mark is squarely in the venue-committed group with the mountain motif doing the work, which is why it lands a B+ even before we see how Rice-Eccles dresses up on New Year's Eve. Discover taking over the title sponsor lockup since 2022 has dialed back some of the heritage feel of the program, and the Bridgestone era before it carried the same tradeoff. We still think the league should make the venue the hero of every Winter Classic logo. The marks that do that win every time.
Frequently Asked Questions About NHL Winter Classic Logos
When did the NHL Winter Classic start?
The first NHL Winter Classic was played on January 1, 2008 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Sidney Crosby scored the shootout winner in falling snow and the league has run an outdoor New Year's Day game in some form every season since outside of the cancelled 2013 and 2021 editions.
Why were the 2013 and 2021 Winter Classics cancelled?
The 2013 Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium was cancelled by the 2012-13 NHL lockout. The matchup was rescheduled to 2014 with new branding. The 2021 Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild at Target Field was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled to 2022.
What is the 2027 NHL Winter Classic matchup?
The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic will be played on Wednesday, December 31, 2026 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Mammoth at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. It is the first outdoor game in Utah Mammoth franchise history and makes the Mammoth the 32nd NHL team to participate in an outdoor game.
What is the best NHL Winter Classic logo of all time?
Our pick is the 2014 Winter Classic logo for the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings game at Michigan Stadium. The Big House subtitle, the stadium silhouette, the 105,491 attendance moment, and the visual commitment to the venue all combine into the strongest mark in the eighteen-year run. The 2009 Wrigley Field mark and the 2017 St. Louis Gateway Arch mark are the next two on our list.
Who is the title sponsor of the NHL Winter Classic?
The Discover Card has been the title sponsor of the NHL Winter Classic since the 2022 game, making it the Discover NHL Winter Classic. Bridgestone held the title sponsorship before Discover, beginning with the 2012 game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Discover lockup appears on every Winter Classic logo from 2022 through the new 2027 Utah mark.
Where has the NHL Winter Classic been played?
The Winter Classic has been hosted at Ralph Wilson Stadium (Buffalo), Wrigley Field (Chicago, twice), Fenway Park (Boston, twice), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh), Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia), Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor), Nationals Park (Washington DC), Gillette Stadium (Foxborough), Busch Stadium (St. Louis), Citi Field (New York), Notre Dame Stadium, Cotton Bowl (Dallas), Target Field (Minneapolis), T-Mobile Park (Seattle), and LoanDepot Park (Miami). The 2027 game at Rice-Eccles Stadium will be the first Winter Classic in Utah.
Will the Winter Classic come back to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park?
Wrigley Field has hosted twice already, in 2009 and 2025, and Fenway Park has hosted twice as well, in 2010 and 2023. Both venues are likely to return at some point in the next decade given the program's habit of cycling through its strongest visual venues, and both produced strong custom Winter Classic logos on each visit.
When is the 2027 NHL Winter Classic?
The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic is scheduled for Wednesday, December 31, 2026, on New Year's Eve, between the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Mammoth at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The game will air on TNT in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.
What was the first NHL Winter Classic logo?
The first NHL Winter Classic logo was designed for the 2008 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The inaugural mark used a horizontal banner format with the Winter Classic wordmark, the NHL shield, and the 2008 year stamp. We grade it B+ on the strength of laying the visual foundation every subsequent Winter Classic logo has built on.
How many NHL Winter Classic logos are there?
There are 18 official NHL Winter Classic logos across the 2008-2027 run. The league has scheduled 19 Winter Classic games in that span, but the 2013 game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings was cancelled by the NHL lockout and the 2021 game between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild was cancelled by COVID-19, with both matchups preserved and rescheduled with new branding for 2014 and 2022 respectively.
Which NHL Winter Classic logo is the worst?
Our pick for the weakest NHL Winter Classic logo in the 2008-2027 run is the 2022 Blues vs Wild mark at Target Field in Minneapolis. The 2022 game opened the Discover sponsorship era and the design felt generic compared to the venue-committed marks of the program's earlier years, with a clean Winter Classic wordmark and Discover lockup but no real Target Field or Minnesota visual identity work. We grade it C+.
