The National Hockey League announced on Thursday that the 2021 Winter Classic, slated to take place in Minneapolis, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game, which was set to feature the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues has been a New Year’s Day tradition since 2008. The Wild were set to host the game for the first time in January, but those plans have been put on hold.
While the game has been cancelled, the NHL has said they do plan on having a future version of the game at Target Field, but did not specify a date. The NHL also cancelled the 2021 All-Star Game festivities, which were scheduled to take place in Miami in early January.
The Winter Classic may be off, but it’s possible the Wild may start the 2021 season on New Year’s Day anyway. Commissioner Gary Bettman previously stated that the league was targeting Jan. 1 as a start date for the 2020-21 season, but that has yet to be announced.
