Everything will be heated at the Winter Classic, even the ice
It's going to be a cold one at the Winter Classic in Minnesota on Saturday and the NHL wants to make sure everyone stays warm. That includes players, staff and fans. According to Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com, everything at the site will be heated.
"There will be 40,000 hand-warmers, plus places to warm up and soup at concession stands. The penalty boxes will be hot seats in more ways than one. Even the ice will be heated," wrote Cotsonika.
"Once we get too cold, we can have some issues with it being brittle or skate marks where it does chip away, so we really try to control that temperature," NHL senior manager of facilities operations Mike Craig said.
Temperatures in Minneapolis on Saturday are predicted to be in the vicinity of minus 3 Fahrenheit, or minus 20 Celsius. With that, the game between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues at Target Field will likely be the coldest outdoor game ever put on by the NHL.
"The NHL ordered the hand-warmers months ago. NHL executive vice president of events Dean Matsuzaki said the League is still discussing distribution plans, but if fans need some, they can request them from guest services. Blankets will be allowed," said Cotsonika.
As for players, they are being provided with balaclavas and long underwear.
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 23, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Bowen Byram | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Noah Ostlund | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Alex Laferriere | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tanner Jeannot | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Adrian Kempe | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cale Makar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Trevor Moore | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Quinton Byfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Cousins | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Peyton Krebs | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Manson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Charlie McAvoy | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||