The NHL Winter Classic will be coming to Minneapolis when the Minnesota Wild host the St. Louis Blues at Target Field on Jan. 1, 2022. The Wild was originally supposed to host the NHL’s New Year’s showcase in 2021 but the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officially official!
The 2022 #NHL Winter Classic® will feature the St. Louis Blues and #mnwild at the home of the Minnesota @Twins in Minneapolis on January 1, 2022. pic.twitter.com/dz42AkEgl6
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) June 28, 2021
The year delay may be well worth it for Wild fans as the emergence of Kirill Kaprizov gives the Wild mainstream appeal. With a young core including Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek, the Wild took the Vegas Golden Knights to seven game series during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will be looking for another step forward in 2022.
But the Blues seemed to have the Wild’s number, going 5-2-1 against Minnesota last season and should be a contender in the Central Division next year.
The 2022 iteration of the Winter Classic will be the 13th in NHL history and the Wild will be the 10th team to host the game. The Wild is the 14th team to play in the game with Target Field becoming the seventh baseball stadium to host the Winter Classic.
