Long overdue, NHL finally gives Minnesota Wild the Winter Classic

The NHL has inexplicably avoided it for years, but the Minnesota Wild and the “State of Hockey” it calls home will finally get the Winter Classic in 2021.

This year’s NHL Winter Classic took place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, where the current temperature is a balmy 57 degrees, on Wednesday. The league has finally rectified the absence of the even in the state where the Dallas Stars franchise originated, with an announcement Wednesday that the 2021 Winter Classic will take place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As is a regular tradition, the NHL will bring its New Year’s Day marquee game to the home of the local MLB team. Target Field will join Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Citizen’s Bank Park, Nationals Park, Busch Stadium and Citi Field as baseball venues to host the Winter Classic.

The Minnesota Wild did host an NHL Stadium Series game back in February of 2016, a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. But this is the first time the “State of Hockey” will play host to the Winter Classic, however inexplicably with 12 editions now complete (high temperature in Minneapolis today?-a balmy for early January 34 degrees), and it’s coming to one of the best venues in the four major American sports in Target Field.

The opponent for the host team will be revealed at a later date, according to the team. But Chris Johnston of Sportsnet has put the Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets as prominent possibilities, which makes sense as all four of those teams are regional and/or divisional rivals for the Wild.

It has been a struggle to make and maintain suitable ice for more than one NHL outdoor game. Leading into and during next New Year’s Day, even if it’s unseasonably warm in Minnesota, that shouldn’t be an issue.