Normally, the NHL would be playing its Winter Classic on New Year's Day. That's obviously not happening this year, as the season won't be starting for another two weeks.
But it appears there will be outdoor NHL games this season, and the Bruins will reportedly be a part of the festivities.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins will play the Flyers outdoors at Lake Tahoe on Sunday, Feb. 21. The day before, Colorado and Vegas will play on the same rink.
With no fans or limited fans allowed to attend games due to the coronavirus pandemic, the game will not be held in a traditional stadium like most outdoor games. Instead, the league is getting creative and will reportedly be setting up a rink at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada on the golf course that hosts the annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.
Rumors of the NHL exploring a picturesque, "Mystery, Alaska" style outdoor game have been circulating for a while, and the league reportedly looked at Lake Louise in Alberta and Park City, Utah during the offseason before settling on Lake Tahoe.
According to Friedman, the rink will be set up around the 16th, 17th and 18th holes of the golf course, which should provide a great TV viewing experience with the lake and surrounding mountains as the background.
Friedman reports that there will be no fans, with attendance limited to about 400 people composed of the teams' traveling parties and event and gameday workers.
The "Outdoor Weekend" showcase is considered a one-year project at this point given the unique circumstances of this season, but the NHL could reportedly explore further opportunities in the future if it's a success.
There is a gap in the Bruins' schedule around that Feb. 21 date, which seemed odd initially, but now makes sense given that this game was in works. No official announcement has been made yet.
The Bruins have played in three outdoor games over the last decade -- the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium, and the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium.
