NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said there was a good chance the annual NHL Winter Classic could return to the Buffalo region for its 20th anniversary in 2028.
“I’m not making an announcement or committing to it, but we’re kind of focused on whether or not we can do it around the 20th anniversary of the original Winter Classic,” Bettman said Thursday night while attending the Sabres home opener. “We’ve already had discussions about the possibility of an outdoor game at Highmark, and that’s something that we think would be great.”
Highmark, of course, will be the name of the new Buffalo Bills Orchard Park stadium in addition to the stadium in which they currently play. The $2.1 billion facility being built across the street from the current stadium is set to open in July 2026.
The Sabres and Bills are both owned by Terry Pegula, making the logistics of the hockey team playing in the football stadium more easy to navigate.
